[Ursus arctos horribilis]

"Same with machine guns. Why does a police force like SWAT need an M-4, a fully automatic weapon? When was the last time a cop ever needed to fire a bunch of rounds quickly?"

Uh, when at 3 AM, they kick in the door of the wrong house and hose down the innocents in their beds.

[Redbob]

"Why does a police force like SWAT need an M-4, a fully automatic weapon? When was the last time a cop ever needed to fire a bunch of rounds quickly?"

Uh, when at 3 AM, they kick in the door of the wrong house and hose down the innocents in their beds."

EXACTLY!

I say be especially leary of a police force that thinks it needs weapons that the public cannot buy.

Makes me wonder what they're planning.