Thanks for the article Jonathan!
via PoliceOne.
The LEO's don't care about any of that. They have a cool new vehicle to parade around in.
If they were serious about changing public perceptions, the first thing they would do is find the most dangerous group of individuals in their area and go after them with a passion. They would strike hard and continue to strike until they were all in jail or moved on to greener pastures.
But this isn't about that. Its about slamming Joe Public as hard as possible and then expecting him to kiss your boot and thank you.
I find it interesting that they list rollovers as a danger for these vehicles. The Army and Marines used these vehicles in primitive conditions. These PDs will use them on roads that are maintained. Once again you have civilian PDs trying to equate the dangers that they face with those of our military.
The arrogance never stops. American Mercenary had it right. These guys only want to dress up as Timmy Tactical and use military gear in a fight against law abiding citizens.
via PoliceOne.
The first issue to overcome is one of public image. There is no shortage of people in the United States who are vocal about how the police are becoming militarized, possibly (according to some, probably) to facilitate disarming the citizenry and bringing about the New World Order. Painting your agency’s livery on the side of a truck that has been in the newspapers carrying soldiers and Marines for the past 10 years is fuel for these folks’ fires.&
The police department in the town where I grew up is getting considerable flak for their new acquisition, even though they badly needed a new tactical vehicle.
There is a reason that rollovers are a special concern. Of 66 MRAP accidents overseas between November 2007 and June 2008, 40 were rollovers caused by rough roads, road shoulders collapsing, bridge failures or bad driving. These vehicles have a high center of gravity, and taking them on an incline of 30 degrees or more can cause them to topple.Yeah.
The crew member in the top turret is at greatest risk in a rollover. While just taking personnel out of the turret is an option, it invites a new hazard. Visibility from inside the vehicles is very poor, and the person manning the turret often has to advise the driver via the vehicle’s intercom about obstructions to the side or rear.
The turret itself could be a problem in an urban environment. The turret is almost ten feet off the ground, and a rider’s body adds to that height. Troops manning turrets were occasionally clotheslined by utility cables or booby traps while crossing the terrain they were navigating.
The vehicles are extremely heavy for their size. The Caiman weighs 24 tons unloaded; the MaxxPro over 18 tons. Personnel and equipment add to that load. Small bridges have collapsed under the weight of MRAPs. Would the bridges in your community be up to the challenge?
Most of the MRAPs are street legal as delivered, but don’t count on taking them on any regional excursions unless you have a trailer to transport it. The vehicles get around 6 mpg, and hold between 50 and 80 gallons of fuel. The trucks run on diesel and/or JP8 fuel.
The LEO's don't care about any of that. They have a cool new vehicle to parade around in.
If they were serious about changing public perceptions, the first thing they would do is find the most dangerous group of individuals in their area and go after them with a passion. They would strike hard and continue to strike until they were all in jail or moved on to greener pastures.
But this isn't about that. Its about slamming Joe Public as hard as possible and then expecting him to kiss your boot and thank you.
I find it interesting that they list rollovers as a danger for these vehicles. The Army and Marines used these vehicles in primitive conditions. These PDs will use them on roads that are maintained. Once again you have civilian PDs trying to equate the dangers that they face with those of our military.
The arrogance never stops. American Mercenary had it right. These guys only want to dress up as Timmy Tactical and use military gear in a fight against law abiding citizens.
Hmmmm, bottleneck and cut that sucker off with a couple of throwaway vehicles and toss a 2L soda bottle full of homemade thermite with an oily rag or a magnesuim strip stuffed in the top as an accelerant should that burn through the top of that thing regardless of any HALON system meant to put it out....
ReplyDeleteKeeping the passengers under fire so they can't egress until they surrender (after all...they're just in it for the paycheck; it ain't like they're Taliban, Kamikaze or SS troopers right?) & you've got an equipment-yield of taxpayer-funded gear big enough to equip and entire platoon of patriots.
Just sayin'
it is funny how instead of making the public feel at ease these vehicles are having the opposite effect.
Deletepolice need to get a handle on simple public relations or they're going to be in for a very rough ride in the future.
additionally have you noticed how everyone is devising scheme on how to take these vehicles out? that should make LEOs nervous. gang members, motorcycle hoodlums, drug dealers aren't the only ones taking aim, but now its people that should be on law enforcementts side.
that should tell them they're doing something wrong.
Yep. I just wonder how many constitution (we all know the 2nd amendment isn't the only one under threat) loving military vets think about how to fight their local police department? Or the National Guard/Army/Marines. Wonder if that keeps anyone up at night? :D
DeleteI suppose they don't have much to worry about just yet, not until we start organizing ourselves for the revolution... Hopefully we can get our respective states to just start seceding en masse. (good thing Texas has the massive stockpiles at the Pantex Plant, we won't need to do too much to get our nuclear deterrent)
since when do the cops (or the feds) listen to the people anyway? It took like...eight years of protests that brought down two presidents to end Vietnam that shook America to the social core (and hatched today's Marxists disguised as liberals that are steadily tying a noose around the USA.)
DeleteIt would not surprise me, that their are people out their who would think about how they can take down their Local police dept or state police dept. If you have guys coming back from Afghanistan and seeing how they saw Taliban takes down the Afghan National police or the tribe. I wouldn't be sunrise if they tried that on their local police or state police, using weapons such as IED, RPG, AT4, RPK.
Deletewhere exactly are you going to go to lay your hands on military grade explosives, an RPG or AT4?
DeleteBubba at the National Guard facility would probably kick your ass for asking (if you're lucky) or report you to the State Police (if you're not)...oh and trust me. if you're gonna be that stupid you want the FBI or ATF coming to get you and not the Troopers.
other than that you're talking about a trip across the border. dealing with corrupt Mexican Police, Army or the Cartels? they'll rob you and leave your body in the desert. an over seas trip? take a boat to the Bahamas and then a quick ride over to a S. American country? they have strict controls on this thing.
so where are you gonna lay your hands on some? i can't think of a place to get your hands on those type weapons unless you're going to steal some. that has its own down sides.
another thing. people have been talking about hitting sites forever and a day. what has my attention is that its no longer boot camp talk but now migrating to common discussions between people with certain skill sets.
thats what has me worried.
Don't underestimate the Mafia such as the Russian Mafia, Italian Mafia and the Chinese Mafia. Even the Mafia has networks more advance than the terrorist networks. They probably have one or two ways of sneaking an RPG, RPK into the US.
DeleteAlthough you have to admit that the baby blue MaxxPro is cute.
ReplyDeleteso cute it makes me sick. i wonder who came up with that color idea.
DeleteSol,
DeleteBe happy the LEO didn't paint their MRAP white with Hello Kitty or Sponge Bob decals on the side.
i wouldn't doubt it. they're probably closet bronies anyway.
DeleteIt's funny how these cops want the public to see them as cops, but when they get these MRAPS. These Cops act like their in Afghanistan.One thing these Cops don't know, one well placed RPG can send one MRAP to the Junk yard. Police depts getting MRAPS are sending a wrong message to Joe Public. It makes you wonder why the public doesn't trust their police dept, the way they are dressing up as Special Forces Wannabes.
ReplyDeleteits pure craziness in the Gun/Law Enforcement/Military/Prepper world these days.
Deleteyou will have tons of cops/military/preppers at shot show. the crazier thing? every product will be marketed to all three of those groups.
idiots actually believe that a holster designed for concealed carry is actually applicable to the military field. that a 3 gun shotgun setup is exactly what Marines need etc...
you have a bunch of guys that are being made jackasses out of by industry and they're eating it up like their is no tomorrow.
Special forces also get a helluva lot of fire support. These guys won't have any of that. They simply don't have the numbers or the firepower, though Homeland Security might. :/
Deletecheck out your average SWAT officer. hell check out your average LEO. fat asses with a gun. if they actually have to fight someone with all that gear on they're going to get their asses handed to them.
Deleteyou have to be physically fit to fight. even in a gun fight. these guys can't shoot move and communicate with anyone except Barney the gay ass dinosaur.
add to all that if the public becomes just a bit more upset, the economy continue to go south and public officials continue to ignore the people and push their agenda on people that don't want it....
under those circumstances i can see a person or a group of people saying fuck it, and then you see a SWAT team somewhere go up against a group of vets or citizens that say enough is enough.
I just can't wait till they kick in the doors one day and the house explodes in their face. How do Marines deal with that threat?
DeleteJust wait until Cops and SWAT teams have to face someone or an armed group who's armed with a Machine Gun, RPG or RPK. That MRAP or SWAT team would not make it out alive and would have their asses handed to them. Your average LEO and SWAT officer would not make pass any standard special forces school.
DeleteIMHO....once Pandora's box tips over (I call it Pandora's box because none of us know what's really in it...all of it will be bad for everyone involved...it will keep raging only until it cooks itself off...and it will permanently change America forever and hopefully for the better...) Anyhow...one it starts you'll see the south Americans who hate us...the Cubans who hate us...the North Koreans who hate us...the Mexican cartels who also are wary of our militarized police etc smuggling AT weapons, AT mines, RPG's, Koronets, MANPADS etc. into America by the boatload; hoping and praying that the American people so weaken the authorities that have been aligned by our leftist/Marxist facist government that America will be left wide open for unrestricted criminal cartel infestation.
ReplyDeletewell thats pretty extreme. i'm not willing to go their yet, but it needs to be pointed out that their is a huge divide opening between the upper northeast states, california and a few states out west and the rest of the country.
Deletecivil war? i don't think so. massive social upheaval? probably. it does seem that certain politicians want to see a 1960's type fever hit the nation.
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DeleteI don't think all S.americans hate USA... I would say that's probably 50/50 and even at that rate wouldn't be enough to invade USA or thing like that.
DeleteActually, i believe if something really bad happens to america probably some countrys would help. ( even thou is kinda hard imagining that happens with the president we have over here...)
I can say we agree on these things looking offensive. Also the timing of when they began to get them makes it even worse. The story broke right about the whole Obama wants to take our guns away crap which in the heat of that debate turned these almost into a symbol of the FEDs giving these to the locals to come take your guns.
ReplyDeleteThere has to be a balance into protection vs looking to offensive.
Now to get every ones opinion would the Lenco Bearcat not be view in the same light as these MRAPs.
Question: What is stopping a bank armoured car company from aquiring one them MRAPS?
ReplyDeleteI think the current armored car companys like Brinks would still be better off paying for a truck with a Ford or GM motor in it that is not so overweight and 4wd. Same goes for the police and sheriff departments. Yeah, its free for them, but every time they take something from the FEDs for free the FEDs want more control in return. Just like these they obviously have to be used for swat type operations or they will take it back or make the city/county pay them for it. With the bad press being given to them a new Bearcat that should last well over a decade is a bargain compared to the PR people the agencies will need to bring in and smooth this over.
DeleteLEO's getting all jackbooted in this armored coffin are just spam in a can for anyone whose job it is/was killing them.
ReplyDeleteBurning alive in your spiffy looking MRAP while patrolling Maple Street is not the way to achieve your pension.
An Armored vehicle is dead meat unsupported by Tac air and infantry.
Can the Police provide that mass infantry and air support to the level that was needed in Iraq and Afagistan?
Not without a Policeman's draft they won't be.
The if you don't have RPG's or AT4's available, mix some nitrated chemical with something like fuel oil or powdered aluminum and then use the "P" factor for plenty. IEDs have happened in Texas, used by the cartels. Right now there isn't an organized resistance movement to LEOs in the United States, so it is unlikely that a cell would prep a site, call 9/11 to provoke a tactical team response, then ambush the team using an IED and small arms fire. Since there is no threat to justify the use of MRAPs by police, I expect that instead of protecting officers this will only drive more of a wedge between LEOs and positive press with the local population.
ReplyDelete