New Report on Police Militarization via The Daily Beast

[rambone]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2cEV2fF9Ao

 

[jeremy]

Yawn......

 

[nicajack]

Littletommy:
Why on earth would you ever have any fear of government backed police going on the offensive? History has proved over and over again that the government can't do even one thing right. They screw up everything they touch. They would certainly screw that up, also! I have always looked at the government as just "Keystone Cops". Who would fear them? I certainly don't. And besides even that, we outnumber them several hundred to one....NO FEAR HERE!
Statistics show that a swat team member is much more likely to be shot by another team member than a bad guy. They keep shooting unarmed citizens. Raid the wrong address. Terrorize innocent people into heart attacks and destroy people's property while looking for "drugs, money, etc" that aren't even there. And don't forget their propensity for shooting your pet to death while doing the above, just for the fun of it....

 

[pftraining_in]

So why is no one complaining about EMTs and Paramedics carrying meds or medical equipment they will never use or rarely use.

Why is no one complaining about fire depts buying million dollar aerials and only using them once a year or not at all. Why do fire departments buy HAZMAT suits and don't use them?

Why do airports buy multimillion dollar fire trucks when aircraft rarely crash?

All this equipment is bought because they may only use it once a year or once every 10 years, but when they need it they need it in the worst way. The cop haters will say there is no comparison and gee, fireman are cool, but the truth is both a fireman and a police officer go into dangerous situations and need the right equipment. Would you tell a fireman they don't need turnout gear and a SCBA because they rarely have to go inside a burning building and save someone, I mean they could just stand outside and spray it with water. Do you only carry a gun because you have been involved in a situation where you needed a gun or do you carry a gun just in case something happens?

When confronted with an armed subject firing with a center-fire rifle from a point of concealment, you don't want to just walk up to the area ,you want an armored vehicle. When you are confronting an armed suspect you want more firepower than they have to win the fight.You must remember that the same evil armored vehicle that protects a police officer could be used to rescue your family members or someone else's family members the same as an ambulance carries Joe Blow a Fireman or a Police Officer to the hospital.

The same people who complain about the police having this equipment are the same people who complain when they do not and an incident occurs. Some forget that there is a few countries across an ocean that do not like us and they will eventually bring the fight to us and the time to get the equipment you need is not after the fact. These groups from across the ocean have been shown to commit acts against the general public and in public locations. Who is around the general public and in public areas, the police not the military. It is no secret that these groups are looking at soft targets and targets in areas not seen as high priority. Which is scarier, a hit in New York or small town America where nothing happens.

One must also remember that these "writers" are the same people who will write derogatory stories about gun owners, but as long as their current story supports their beliefs they forget about the other stuff.

Which one is a tank?

 

[XMil]

So why is no one complaining about EMTs and Paramedics carrying meds or medical equipment they will never use or rarely use.

I don't really think it has anything to do with the money...

 

[HeadlessRoland]

Scooped by the New American, a long time ago. 1033.
Aerosmith - Livin' on the Edge.mp3
"Support your local police - AND KEEP THEM INDEPENDENT."

 

[RockofStrength]

When confronted with an armed subject firing with a center-fire rifle from a point of concealment, you don't want to just walk up to the area you want an armored vehicle. When you are confronting an armed suspect you want more firepower than they have to win the fight. Some forget that there is a few countries across an ocean that do not like us and they will eventually bring the fight to us and the time to get the equipment you need is not after the fact. These groups from across the ocean have been shown to commit acts against the general public and in public locations. Who is around the general public and in public areas, the police not the military. It is no secret that these groups are looking at soft targets and targets in areas not seen as high priority. Which is scarier, a hit in New York or small town America where nothing happens. You must remember that the same evil armored vehicle that protects a police officer could be used to rescue your family members or someone else's family members the same as an ambulance carries Joe Blow a Fireman or a Police Officer to the hospital.

The same people who complain about the police having this equipment are the same people who complain when they do not and an incident occurs.

One must also remember that these "writers" are the same people who will write derogatory stories about gun owners, but as long as their current story supports their beliefs they forget about the other stuff.

The military has tanks, aircraft, naval equipment, anti-tank weapons, grenades, and myriad other means to deal with foreign threats. if it comes down to the end of america our last hope will not be a police officer in an armored vehicle from the local pd. even were he to somehow avoid being annihilated by whatever managed to destroy our armed forces, he'd be called away to defend a vital location instead of saving random civilians.

Frankly the idea that an officer could perform the same task as, say, the National Guard or the Army is exactly the opposite of what we should be seeking. By your logic, the police need Javelin Missile systems to deal with the occasional "Killdozer" or AA batteries to prevent plane attacks. The police are entrusted to protect us from minor/moderate civilian threats, nothing more.

 

[mrjarrell]

Many police forces are becoming the standing army the Founders warned us of. And there's no militia to counter them.

 

[Lead Head]

Many police forces are becoming the standing army the Founders warned us of. And there's no militia to counter them.

Worth quoting.

 

[jeremy]

Which one is a tank?

Uhhhh....

None of those Vehicles are Tanks...
They are all however Armored Personnel Carriers...

 

[jbombelli]

The way I see it, the police should be able to buy anything *I* can buy. I can buy an armored vehicle. I can buy body armor. I can buy tactical clothing and boots. I can buy radios. I can buy a pre-ban machine gun. My only complaint is that the police can buy NEW machine guns at new machine gun prices, when I cannot. *I* have to pay out the nose for something that's over 25 years old. THAT should never have been permitted under ANY circumstances.

 

[pftraining_in]

Frankly the idea that an officer could perform the same task as, say, the National Guard or the Army is exactly the opposite of what we should be seeking. By your logic, the police need Javelin Missile systems to deal with the occasional "Killdozer" or AA batteries to prevent plane attacks. The police are entrusted to protect us from minor/moderate civilian threats, nothing more.

And by your logic the military would have to be patrolling the streets to be the first responders in this type of event. I am not talking long sustained war, we are talking about first response to an armed threat.

I don't believe that an armored vehicle is even in the same classification as anti-aircraft/material weapons.

Uhhhh....

None of those Vehicles are Tanks...
They are all however Armored Personnel Carriers...

Several people in this thread have commented on the police using tanks, which obviously they are not. The police do use armored personnel carriers by definition, but why use accurate terms when they do not fit your agenda.

 

[pftraining_in]

The way I see it, the police should be able to buy anything *I* can buy. I can buy an armored vehicle. I can buy body armor. I can buy tactical clothing and boots. I can buy radios. I can buy a pre-ban machine gun. My only complaint is that the police can buy NEW machine guns at new machine gun prices, when I cannot. *I* have to pay out the nose for something that's over 25 years old. THAT should never have been permitted under ANY circumstances.

An agency can buy new machine guns, individual officers still have to follow the same rules as anyone else. Far more officers purchase their own rifles and equipment than get it issued by their department.

 

[Denny347]

Uhhhh....

None of those Vehicles are Tanks...
They are all however Armored Personnel Carriers...

Yup, mostly worthless overseas. Tanks they are NOT.

 

[jeremy]

Several people in this thread have commented on the police using tanks, which obviously they are not. The police do use armored personnel carriers by definition, but why use accurate terms when they do not fit your agenda.

There are several LEAs that do in fact have Tanks though...

 

[mrjarrell]

There are several LEAs that do in fact have Tanks though...

Arpaio comes immediately to mind. Good for murdering chickens.

 

[Denny347]

Arpaio comes immediately to mind. Good for murdering chickens.

Well, as crooked as he sounds, it does not surprise me. A lightly armored Ford F350 (the Bearcat) is one thing, something more than an APC is too much and loses its usefulness. Reminds me of those machine guns that "Sons of Guns" does for those podunk departments in LA, impractical, expensive, and plain stupid.

 

[mrjarrell]

This is Arpaio's toy. Hopefully he doesn't have any rounds for the canon on it. The tool will eventually kill someone, rather than just letting washed up action movie actors knock down walls and run over chickens.

 

[jbombelli]

An agency can buy new machine guns, individual officers still have to follow the same rules as anyone else. Far more officers purchase their own rifles and equipment than get it issued by their department.

When I say "police" I am not referring to individual officers buying things for themselves. I'm referring to the agencies.

It's f****** b******* that police departments are in any way permitted to buy ANYTHING that I am not allowed to buy.

And if you think it's okay, I hate your guts with an absolute passion from the bottom of my heart.

 

[Denny347]

This is Arpaio's toy. Hopefully he doesn't have any rounds for the canon on it. The tool will eventually kill someone, rather than just letting washed up action movie actors knock down walls and run over chickens.

That's not a tank...that's a howitzer ...the bold lettering looks photoshoped.