and was volunteering with the Police Department and the Volunteer Fire Department, there was a program where authorized municipal agencies could drive on down to Jefferson City, the state capitol, to the state storage yard.
In there, was old state national guard equipment, old state police equipment, fire equipment from other departments, generators, trucks, you know just a hodgepodge of gear and equipment. The police department got 3 Impala's that used to be State Highway Patrol vehicles, the fire department got an old caprice, that used to be a rural state fire marshal's, and 2 deuce and half's that were converted by the state to brush trucks through a grant. I helped drive several of those vehicles back to the PD and to the VFD. Total cost to each department? $25.00 per car plus fuel to get them, and $75.00 for each deuce, after the state Highway Department had converted them and the fuel was thrown in free since they were for a fire department. The fees charged were simply for proper titling of the vehicles and the municipal plates.
Nowadays, police departments are getting Bearcats, up armored HMMWV's, MRAP's, M113 APC's and who knows what else.
Ben Swann gives us a look at a town in South Carolina that just had a heaping of Uncle Sam's Largesse dumped on them, and they appear that they couldn't be happier.
SC Police Department Gets “U.N. Blue” Tank that is land mine & IED resistant
Tell me. Why does a police department NEED an MRAP? Are they expecting a war? Do they fear IED's? Do they fear emplaced mines?
If they do, I'd take a more serious look at that department's reputation with it's citizens and NOT up armor them.
Because if the department was truly in touch with thier citizens, they would KNOW who and where their troublemakers and trouble spots were. And they would take steps to address them instead of hiding from the public behind armor plate like an invading force.
Back when my father first started working for MODoC the new officers were given a tour of the armory at JCCC (The Walls). They still had Thompson SMGs, 1911 pistols (circa WW2), S&W M&P .38 revolvers, M1 Garands and Carbines and 1960's era riot gear in inventory. All of it former HwyPat issue. Although JCCC did have newer equipment it issued to officers the old stuff was maintained in working order, just in case. As of about 10 years ago they still had it, dunno if the armory got moved to one of the newer prisons when The Walls got shutdown or not. But, therein lies the rub, some people do with what they have rather than get the newest and coolest.
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