The votes, which were cast on competing amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act, came as the country grapples with how to reform police departments in the wake of the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police and the corresponding protests across the country that have highlighted concerns about rough practices by heavily fortified police.
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No police force has any use for heavy military equipment. Hell, just maintaining that shit is a drain on their resources.
"Hell, just maintaining that shit is a drain on their resources."
ReplyDeleteYep. Several departments found out the hard way just why the military surplused all those nearly-new MRAP trucks.
A bit late.
ReplyDeleteThere is an escalation issue with the use of vehicles especially. I mean 1000's of people and tons of drugs come across the border every year, how about an RPG? Would take out an mrap without slat armor easily.
ReplyDeleteThis is something I've been saying for a while. If the god-awful stupid protesters really want to reform the po-po, there are a number of sensible, straight-forward reforms that 90% of the conservatives will support, starting with the de-militarization of the police force. No more soldier gear, no anti-personnel vehicles or weapons, etc.
ReplyDeleteThen move on to reduction and/or elimination of SWAT. Just because they have fancy toys doesn't mean they need to use them. The SWAT teams routinely go out to issue appearance summons, for Pete's sake. Ridiculous.
For that matter, do something about the so-called "swatting" incidents. Too many innocent people killed by over-eager cops thinking they are playing hero to a prank call.
Ending the no-knock warrants. If cops kick in a door without announcing their presence (and giving those inside a chance to wake up and understand what's happening), then everyone in the house has a right to shoot back. They are not the gestapo and should not be able to just enter at will and shoot people.
End the abuse of civil forfeiture laws. Too many stories of cops seizing money, assets, without ever filing charges. Stealing with a badge needs to end.
And there are dozens of other ways to improve the system, but BLM has blown any goodwill they may have deserved and no real reforms will take place now.
It's about time. I noted, with alarm, in the early 90's how police forces around the country were "militarizing" with automatic weapons and APC's. It has only gotten worse in the ensuing years. The thing is, when they have weapons like these, they're NOT going to let them sit around gathering dust. They will find any reason to use them, justifiable or not. As someone famous once said: It is easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission (something like that anyway).
ReplyDeleteNemo
Just a thought, I have always seen these transfers as propositioned caches for our use when the SHTF. A handful of cops are going to run, we will have to take control of all that gear, ammo and weapons. Thanks is what we will be saying. Because I think we are going to need it.
ReplyDeleteWhile I was an Officer in our local gun club, the local police department asked to use our range for training. We gave them permission. They had to use a particular part only and it had to be at night when our members weren't there. they brought their own lights. They showed up, set up their lights and proceeded to have hours and hours of full automatic gun fire. They destroyed the range we let them use. And were told not to come back.
ReplyDeleteWhat we need in this country is more MRAPs in police heads, and cracking as many anarchists, Marxists, and ghetto thugs' heads as possible.
ReplyDeleteYou really need to take a civics class. The police arrest a bad guy/girl. A DA decides if there is enough evidence to bring it to trial, or sometimes a grand jury does that. Then, at a trial supposedly of the perps peers, a verdict, either guilty or innocent,is determined. At that point, depending upon the jurisdiction, the judge or the jury determines sentence, and the department of corrections carries out the sentence. The police are not, repeat not, supposed to be in the business of cracking heads, no matter how it may appear that the creep deserves it.
DeleteDue process is a thing that every American has a right to, not just the Americans who are decent looking and have family ties in some nice neighborhood. What happened a number of years ago, was that the police began a determined effort to put black men in jail, then the rise of the single mother raising a family, on government aid, came about. And thus we saw the rise of criminal behavior in the ever increasing ghettos that became worse due to the lack of money,and the lack of fathers to teach their sons things like respect for other peoples property, and pride in their own property. It is actually illustrated pretty simply and openly,for anyone that wants to see.
pigpen51
What about when they do all that head busting of the antifags, Marxists and thugs, and then turn their attention to you?
DeleteBuddha
Thoughts when first MRAP "gifts" were announced: How many small departments have access to maintenance? Got bays that big in town? Fuel costs going up in police budget. The vehicle is going to sit around, police will have to assign somebody to sweep off the dust. And a bunch more.
ReplyDeleteMy suggestion of obtaining more MRAPs was hyperbole. I doubt that any are actually needed, at least so far. What is needed, however, are heavy-duty armored vehicles for specific uses when taking out bad guys and the concern for protecting officers' lives is paramount.
DeleteAntifa and BLM would love for the police to come at them bare-knuckled only, I suppose. That ain't gonna happen. People are sick and tired of the chaos. I would love to see the rock throwers, fireworks hurlers, and Molotov cocktail tossers get their heads cracked and placed behind bars for years. This sort of behavior is not part of the right of "peaceful assembly."
"Got bays that big in town?"
DeleteGot streets that big? One town got an MRAP, then discovered it couldn't navigate most of the streets.
I drove past the Espanola County Sheriff's Dept a few years ago, in New Mexico, and they had one parked out front. All the tires were flat.
DeleteMost departments just use that equipment to serve warrants anyways. And the parade. I suppose our Bearcat got most of it's miles from parades and other civic functions.
ReplyDeleteBack in the late 70’s to early 80’s.......when things got dicey.......
ReplyDeleteYou had a pair of ‘cuffs, a slapjack, a baton, a 357, a 12 gauge, your fellow officers, or call SWAT.....
but the best thing you had was your mind and negotiating skills..
Ed357
I am totally opposed to the police having military grade weaponry, as the various police departments will then have to find ways to employ, hence, justifying their usage and expense for maintaining them in their inventory. Also, it encourages the mindset, where the police consider themselves to be a para-military organization, with the general public becoming "the enemy". I once had a cop chick state as much.
ReplyDeleteThere also needs to be a reconsideration of "no Knock raids" and "asset forfeiture" - which is nothing more than legalized theft.