via The Norman Transcript.
One thing I've noticed since the issue of police militarization hit hard (right after Ferguson when the news media finally noticed SWAT Teams looking like a Marine Corps Rifle Squad) is that law enforcement has really begun pushing the "rescue vehicle" meme.
What I hadn't read or heard is the idea that police actually thought that they might face IEDs.
It is definitely time to try get a hold of a few of those alerts that DHS sends to local PDs with regard to potential threats....if Capt Gibson actually believes that he could face IEDs in Norman, Oklahoma then things are worse than I thought.
Capt. Todd Gibson presented information about armored rescue vehicles to the Citizens Public Safety Oversight Committee last week to talk about just that. The vehicle would be used for transporting police, fire, medics or transport individuals through hostile areas.I have a web alert that hits articles that cover armored vehicles and every night I get bombarded with articles of police depts seeking to/or buy/ing MRAPs.
"This piece of equipment would allow us to get into active shooter areas. It would allow us to get into IED areas, if they were to occur on a game day," he said. "Anywhere you have large concentrations of people, you have large concerns that bad people can do bad things."
OU football home games bring about 80,000 plus people into the city, he said.
While there is a current stigma that comes along with an armored vehicle, such as the militarization of police departments, Gibson said the vehicle the department is looking at is more like a Ford F-550 Super Duty pickup or armored ambulance.
"One thing that it is not, and I stress this, NOT; it is not a tank. It has no offensive capabilities," he said. "It's clearly a rescue vehicle."
Both Oklahoma City and Edmond have armored rescue vehicles and the vehicles are often found in airports or used in construction. Gibson said the vehicles are nothing new, they're just advanced.
"It's nothing new, nothing crazy, not a weapon, not a tank. It's simply preparation," he said. "By failing to prepare we are preparing to fail."
Chief Keith Humphrey was offered a Medium Range Anti Tank (MRAT) for a price much cheaper than an armored rescue vehicle would cost, Gibson said, but declined it because he didn't believe it fit our community needs.
One thing I've noticed since the issue of police militarization hit hard (right after Ferguson when the news media finally noticed SWAT Teams looking like a Marine Corps Rifle Squad) is that law enforcement has really begun pushing the "rescue vehicle" meme.
What I hadn't read or heard is the idea that police actually thought that they might face IEDs.
It is definitely time to try get a hold of a few of those alerts that DHS sends to local PDs with regard to potential threats....if Capt Gibson actually believes that he could face IEDs in Norman, Oklahoma then things are worse than I thought.
