Police Try To Explain Why An MRAP Is Necessary In The Small Alabama Town
An Alabama town’s police department explains why an enormous, half a million dollar militarized piece of equipment, obtained from the Pentagon, is necessary in a city with only 6,023 residents. The unrest in Ferguson, Missouri has brought attention to our militarized police departments.
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Chief Mike Reynolds of Chickasaw says he understands why the MRAP, a mine resistant, ambush protected vehicle, raises questions, but he also believes local police can use military equipment responsibly in protecting citizens. Reynolds says the MRAP has only been deployed once, to the scene where a man barricaded himself inside and threatened to shoot officers.
Even then, the vehicle remained in a stand-by mode, according to WKRG.
The Pentagon’s program called 1033, allows local law enforcement agencies to acquire military surplus equipment the Defense Department no longer needs as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan wind down.
WKRG reports, Some 600 MRAP’s have been sent to local law enforcement agencies across the country, Chickasaw’s department has used the 1033 program for other needs. They’ve also acquired a two and a half ton military truck and 3 humvees. Those have all been used to help out during flood situations. They also acquired other equipment like a car, and even a paper shredder.”
Watch:
H/T: My BFF @ComgenKDT with thanks.[su_sky_ad]
ExPFCWintergreen August 29th, 2014 at 3:04 pm
They want to have military equipment for the sake of having military equipment, because once you have military equipment you have to maintain military equipment, which means a steady funding stream for upkeep, upgrades, training contracts, and the like. It’s a perpetual-motion funding machine, which is probably why it’s especially popular in poorer Red states that regularly slash funding for governance.
Gindy51 August 29th, 2014 at 4:43 pm
And folks we have a winner! A sin most things just follow the money.
edmeyer_able August 29th, 2014 at 3:09 pm
How else are they supposed to round up the citizens and put them into FEMA camps?…/s
Suzanne McFly August 29th, 2014 at 3:17 pm
Uh-oh, did a poor unsuspecting person of color recently move into the town?
Candide Thirtythree August 30th, 2014 at 6:12 am
There is only about 100 in the whole town from the look of things there but the white people there are super trashy tea bagging types.
KrisMurphyBlountCountyAL August 29th, 2014 at 3:20 pm
Got a better example….Yesterday I noticed parked in the police department parking shed, a M113 armored personnel carrier…which is tracked, like a tank vs. wheels/tires…..painted white….in Hanceville, AL (near where I live). What does a town of less than 4,000 need with a tracked “tank?” Personally I think that goes a bit too far….unless ISIL shows up.
Abby Normal August 29th, 2014 at 3:35 pm
We used to have a paranoid, gun-happy cop in our small village. His answer to questions was always, “How do I know . . . .?”
How do I know you’re not a terrorist?
How do I know you don’t have a gun in your pocket?
How do I know you didn’t just rob a bank?
How do I know you’re not a dangerous psychopath?
How do I know you’re not a shape-shifter from Alpha Centauri?
He was finally fired when he was in his mid 40s. He used to pull young girls over and offer to let them go with a warning if they would agree to go out with him.
He’s now a prison guard.
tiredoftea August 29th, 2014 at 6:57 pm
It’s a serious effort to get to all those backwoods stills in the county.
Abby Normal August 29th, 2014 at 3:30 pm
Did Chief Mike Reynolds of Chickasaw mention the supply of tactical nukes he has on order? He’ll really be able to protect the citizens when he has those.
PunkAssPro August 29th, 2014 at 4:21 pm
So, “People are stupid!” Just didn’t cut it? Hum?
R.J. Carter August 29th, 2014 at 4:38 pm
It’s brought attention to it, even though the police in Ferguson were not militarized.
Dwendt44 August 29th, 2014 at 5:26 pm
Not militarized? by who’s standard? that APC with the 50 cal locked and loaded on top sure looked military to me. Not to mention the military helmets and other gear.
R.J. Carter August 29th, 2014 at 5:41 pm
Not militarized by the standards of the people who militarize things — the Pentagon.
— source: StlPublicRadio
mea_mark August 30th, 2014 at 9:37 am
So you want to argue about semantics? If the people perceive over militarization and it gets their emotions fired up, isn’t that what counts?
R.J. Carter August 30th, 2014 at 12:57 pm
No. Perceptions and emotions never trump actual facts.
Guy Lauten August 29th, 2014 at 5:59 pm
“the MRAP has only been deployed once, to the scene where a man barricaded himself inside and threatened to shoot officers. Even then, the vehicle remained in a stand-by mode.”
Gee, what a great, efficient use of the public’s money.
SteveD August 29th, 2014 at 6:38 pm
Hundreds if not thousands of people either directly or indirectly, were involved in building those 600 MRAP’s (and countless other military cast-off items). The people that build,design,contract ,provide raw materials ,transport parts and materials, the people that build the production facilities, the administrative personnel, the maintenance personnel and many others I can’t even think of right now have or had jobs. Lots of jobs. No kidding. These people all spent that “tax money” back into the economy. In aggregate, this benefits all citizens, including you. This is known as a positive economic feedback loop. Do you like a growing and expanding economy Jim? Granted, there may be better ways to spend what you believe to be “your” federal tax dollars. Everyone has different opinions on how the federal government should spend of course.(I do enjoy your avatar though, it is my favorite FZ/MOI LP.)
tiredoftea August 29th, 2014 at 7:00 pm
It might have been needed to flatten the single wide he was hiding in.
uzza August 29th, 2014 at 8:04 pm
The Pentagon gives them this stuff for free. Viagra you have to pay for.
Candide Thirtythree August 30th, 2014 at 6:07 am
Seriously … Chickasaw? OMG! My husband used to live there and I spent summers there working on a family farm as a kid, the place is a complete dump, it looks like an abandoned town out of a zombie movie. It is so low rent that the majority of the stores are pawn shops and payday loan stores.
Half the old men in town hang out drinking beer at the auto parts store all day. You would be hard pressed to find a full set of teeth in the whole town or anyone who works regular for that matter. Bunch of drunks and drug addicts and people on welfare or get checks for being some kind of crazy from being inbred. It is the kind of place that smart people get out of as soon as they learn to drive.
It is part of my white trash heritage that I would just as soon forget but it is NOT dangerous and most of the people are white so they can’t claim it is because race.
Denise August 30th, 2014 at 11:35 am
OMG! Lets see, we can afford to spend $$$$ on destructive machinery but education and safety nets get cut! This country is just as backwards as many 3rd world countries.