Posted on 02/20/2014 7:51:31 AM PST by Altariel
Residents in some towns have begun standing up to the large armored vehicles that local police departments are receiving from the federal government.
Six-figure grants from the Department of Homeland Security have been funding BearCats and other heavily fortified vehicles in towns and cities nationwide since soon after the 2001 terrorist attacks. Beginning last summer, the government also has handed out 200 surplus vehicles built to withstand mines and bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan, and is considering requests from 750 more communities.
Most police and citizens welcome the extra protection, saying recent mass shootings show any local force could find itself facing an extremely violent or dangerous situation. But antipathy has grown in some pockets of the country—from New York to Ohio to California—which see the machines as symbols of government waste and a militarization of law enforcement, including the growth of SWAT teams and high-tech gadgets in recent decades.
In libertarian-leaning New Hampshire, a state lawmaker just introduced a bill that would ban municipalities from accepting military-style vehicles without approval from voters. That came in response to the Concord City Council's vote in the fall to accept a $258,000 federal grant to buy a BearCat, despite intense opposition from citizens who submitted a 1,500-signature petition and rallied outside City Hall holding signs that said, "More Mayberry, Less Fallujah" and "Thanks But No Tanks!"
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
We’re gonna have to drink more wine.
Have you seen Detroit?
Have you seen Camden?
Have you seen Los Angeles?
Have you seen East St. Louis?
Do you remember Miami?
Do you remember New Orleans?
Do you remember Sandy?
It has happened before. It is happening now. And when it happens tomorrow, they will come at you in these vehicles.
There MAY be some PD’s refusing them, but there are more accepting them - eagerly:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jan/23/pentagon-giving-away-13k-mraps-free-allies-local-l/
http://whowhatwhy.com/2014/02/17/police-state-gears-up/
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/57358599-78/police-program-utah-1033.html.csp
http://www.harborcountry-news.com/articles/2014/01/31/news/doc52d6a72b30ea9657912899.txt
“saying recent mass shootings show any local force could find itself facing an extremely violent or dangerous situation.”
Against what, one or two crazy people, a couple of kids,
two or three CAIR people? This is BS. This is the arming
of jackboots, nothing more.
Given my preference for fine single malt scotch, that’s going to take a while and cost a bit more.
Well, it’s said that it’s the journey that counts.
Slainte!
The real action is going to have to happen at state level, with “police de-paramilitarization laws”.
The first part of the law gives the state governor and attorney general the authority to prescribe what equipment police departments in the state are allowed to have and use.
Equipment outside of this list, unless granted special waivers by the state for special needs, must be turned over to their respective county Sheriff for storage and safekeeping. (This is a necessary requirement for those who argue that the police departments might need it in the future.) And it can only be used either by the Sheriff’s office, or for a limited time and use based on the written warrant of a country judge. Likewise, no police agency below the level of county Sheriff can have or use a SWAT team.
The second part of this law prohibits all direct contact between city police departments and the federal government, in either direction. This means grants from the feds, of money and/or equipment, and information exchange, must go through the state. In the case for requests for cooperation, they can only happen through their respective county Sheriff’s office, with their acquiescence.
The third part of the law is to change the curriculum of the state police academies, so there is minimal SWAT training, moving in the direction of civilian, not paramilitary, policing.
Heard about Houston?
Heard about Detroit?
Heard about Pittsburgh, PA?
You oughta know not to stand by the window
Somebody might see you up there
You speak of laws in a lawless regime.
They had to hit a Ford because the GMC was broke down.
Some armored vehicle, flat tire. The Ford looks like it
could drive away.
“Burn them.
We will.”
Most people don’t know how easy it is.
“Have you seen Detroit?
Have you seen Camden?
Have you seen Los Angeles?
Have you seen East St. Louis?
Do you remember Miami?
Do you remember New Orleans?
Do you remember Sandy?”
Nothing an armed citizenry cant handle.
“That gear is as close to being in the hands of the people as it could possibly be without giving it directly to the people.”
Yep, I agree. And easier to get to AND BURN.
Looks like a great opportunity for someone with a balloon filled with red paint.
They are not “Free” FRiend.
That is exactly what these things are meant to suppress.
Most people don’t know that dissolving a little Styrofoam into the gasoline makes it sticky.
Serious question:
Are there any stories of local police departments using this equipment successfully to save lives in situations where other more traditional gear would not have worked?
The Marines in Fallujah were reported to be using a mixture of one part liquid laundry detergent, two parts gasoline. I read that in Wikipedia.
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