Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

By Radley Balko April 18

Here at The Watch, we’re looking for the smallest town in America to acquire an MRAP, or Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected armored personnel vehicle.

For the past few years, the Pentagon has been giving these vehicles to police departments across the country. The unwieldy behemoths have little real application in domestic police work. They’re designed for use on a battlefield. (The Pentagon offers no training to police departments when it gives the vehicles away. And they’ve been known to tip over.)

But police departments are snatching them up. It’s part of the general trend toward more militarized domestic police forces that’s been happening since about the early 1980s.

Below, I’ve assembled a quick (but by no means comprehensive) rundown of towns and counties to have recently required an MRAP from the Defense Department. But we want to find the tiniest town in America whose police force will be protected from any potential insurgent uprising. So far, the leading contender is Dundee, Mich., a sprawling metropolis of 3,900 people. If you hear of a town with fewer people acquiring an MRAP, please let me know.

Towns and counties that have recently acquired an MRAP:

Lyon County, Nev. (population: 51,000)
Watertown, Conn. (population 22,000)
Walla Walla, Wash. (population: 32,000)
Michigan City, Ind. (population: 31,000)
Mason City, Iowa (population: 28,000)
Madison, Ind. (population 12,000)
Willimantic, Conn. (population: 18,000)
Cape Girardeau, Mo. (population: 39,000)
Story County, Iowa (population: 91,000)
Manteca, Calif. (population: 71,000)
Jasper County, Iowa (population: 36,000)
Justice, Ill. (population: 13,000)
Dodge County, Wis. (population: 88,000)
Roanoke Rapids, N.C. (population: 16,000)
Nampa, Idaho (population: 83,900)
Merrillville, Ind. (population: 35,600)
St. Cloud, Minn. (population: 66,000)
Warren County, N.Y. (population: 65,500)
North Augusta, S.C. (population: 22,000)
Eureka, Calif. (population 27,000)

MarcSpaz wrote:I have two big concerns about trying to demilitarize local PD's.

1.) We need swat to handle things like "bank robbery turned hostage situation", or an active shooter situation. We don't want to wait hours for some federal LE agency to decide to deploy someone and actually get them out there.

2.) You can disarm the "department" all you want, the Constitution and the Bill or Rights means we don't stop anyone from owning any of these individually. There is no way of preventing a less than scrupulous Chief to get together a group of guys who own there own hardware to accomplish the same thing.

Granted, taking weapons away will help to a significant degree. However, in my opinion, the real solution is Accountability To The People.

Kreutz wrote:Uh, I wouldn't be so quick to lob an "I told you so" at the "Libs" on this one.

In June 2014 a bill was introduced to the House by Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) to stop giving local PD's military equipment, only 62 Congressman voted yes, and 355 voted no.

Of the 62 voting pro-liberty 43 were Democrats, and 19 were Republicans or roughly a 2:1 ratio.

You may recognize your guys name here:

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2014/roll329.xml

ShotgunBlast wrote:Crime is at 40 year lows but we see over 50,000 SWAT raids per year nationwide.

MarcSpaz wrote:Well, we are coming back to my original point. Like Jim mentioned above, last night the citizens started escalating the violence, lighting more buildings and cars on fire, shooting other citizens, assaults, trying to violently over-run a police station.

Have it but don't abuse it... Now... now is the time for MO. to use their SWAT. Not when people are at peace.