Comments on: Massachusetts Suspends Pentagon Giveaways to Local Police Departments

By: J Salmeier

J Salmeier — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:31:48 +0000

sorry typo: “occasional” not “occupational”

By: joe banana

joe banana — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 05:36:51 +0000

Asset forfeiture, military police force, judges with immunity to everything, the “patriot act 1&2″, torture, no knock warrants, warrantless wire tapping, a government that hasn’t used the “truth” for years, ex-war criminals running around free, governmental grand larceny, judges that disregard the law(again, with immunity).
We’ve been infiltrated by a terrorist regime, everything our government has done for the past 9 years, is the same thing we’re in Iraq, and Afghanistan fighting against. We are the united terrorist states of Amerikkka (or the USSA).

By: Marion

Marion — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:27:37 +0000

Seeing as how insecure this country is becoming (mainly due to open borders) I don’t see how it can be a bad thing for the police to get this sort of weaponry. If we’re so concerned about the police becoming more powerful than the people, why don’t we take a look at the government? Our rights are dying faster than the police is becoming paramilitary.

By: nemo

nemo — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 16:07:53 +0000

Contrary to what many may think, this paramilitarizing the police stuff has been going on since Nixon’s days. Look up the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration and you’ll find the same thing happened long ago. It was stopped for the same reasons, too.

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:09:38 +0000

#44: both sides of this argument can point to evidence to back up their position. To me, the real issue is, “What kind of law enforcement do WE want?” Because, after all, civilians are the ones who are supposed to say jump, and law enforcement are the ones who are supposed to ask how high. It is not supposed to be the other way around with respect to policies; just as with the military, we’re supposed to have civilian-controlled law enforcement. The problem is that we can’t make up our mind, and institutions take advantage to advance their own power in the confusion, playing different interests off against one another.

I view the entire philosophy of policing – the idea that we need protection and law enforcement provided by professionals – as in need of change. But certainly if we’re going to have professional cops, they need to know who’s in charge of their policies. They don’t have a set of legitimate interests separate and apart from ours, which is why the us vs. them mentality is so absolutely disturbing.

By: Dave Krueger

Dave Krueger — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:29:19 +0000

Typical American attitude: It must not be happening because it hasn’t happened to me.

The “Land of the Free” has the highest incarceration rate in the world. If that doesn’t alarm you, then the fact that you’re “a little fuzzy about some things” is the least of your problems.

By: CEH

CEH — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:19:37 +0000

#40,#41, Damn guys, I must apologize, things are obviously bad in this country. I’m sorry for having my head in the sand! What do we do, what do we do? All of the oppressive law enforcement and government agents have to be dealt with some how, since of course they face zero sanctions from anyone when they screw up. I’m still a little fuzzy about some things though, can you pass some of the kool-aid you’re drinking so I can think more clearly and get on the same page?

By: Alex Goristal

Alex Goristal — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:31:54 +0000

#30; 32; 37: Apologist, you grade out with a result of “FAIL FAIL FAIL”. I assume that by “bad apples” you intend to describe active criminals or active abusers among LE. Even if you were correct that only a small minority fall into those categories (your contention is false; becoming more so every day), the vast majority (nearly unanimous) who would fail to identify or who would actively cover up for the misconduct of those cretins because they are “brother officers” are accomplices after the fact to their crimes, and are equally the enemy of the people as the perps themselves. The police are just as much of a gang phenomenon as any throng of armed thugs in the ghetto, the salient difference being that recently the ghetto gangs seem to show better moral sense in choosing their victims. Tase anyone lately, bro?

-AleG

By: chance

chance — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:31:15 +0000

I meant to mention this earlier, but to the best of my knowledge the M-16 and most of it’s variants only have 3 round burst, not full auto.

By: Dave Krueger

Dave Krueger — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:47:59 +0000

#40 John and Dagny Galt
The Nazi-SS militarized jackboots of all stripes and colors are most definitely NOT going to “allow” themselves to be “fired” and/or “disbanded”…

Don’t be silly. That Nazi stuff can’t happen here in the good ol’ US of A. Here the jackboots are the good guys (except for a very rare “bad apple”). No self-respecting “assemblage of local people” would even consider taking the cops’ guns and APCs away and/or firing them (which I didn’t even realize was part of the discussion). They’re the only thing that stands between us innocent civilians and total murderous blood-in-the-streets anarchy. Only criminals would even suggest disarming the cops. I have my eye on you.

By: John and Dagny Galt

John and Dagny Galt — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:41:40 +0000

Dear Radley Balko,
You can share a foxhole with me ANYTIME brother!

Seriously though, and this point requires a complete article in and of itself, local police are “created” by an assemblage of local people. These same police/police-departments can be defunded and disbanded by the local communities AT ANY TIME. Then the city council may, on behalf of the local people of the city, take physical possession of the property and buildings and equipment and resources that were formerly loaned by the city to the department so it could “protect and serve”…

So all this heavy hardware may be repossessed and claimed by the citizens of the region as they so desire.

now…Now…NOW…

Exactly what do you think would happen if the city fathers were to actually attempt to do that?

Do you honestly believe that the local jackboots are just going to “give-up” turn in their shit and go home?

You’re kidding right?

Guaranteed they would do exactly the opposite:

There would be an immediate call of all personnel to BATTLE-STATIONS!

And all that military-grade hardware would be brought to bear against the city, it’s people, and it’s council/city-fathers/leaders…

At the same time they would call for reenforcements from other jackboots and mercenaries of all sorts…to include other police/deputies/staties/federales/even the mercenaries of the military would be called in to put down a legal and binding citizen dictate that the local yokel jackboots put-em-down and go the hell home…

Don’t think we’re serious…

The Nazi-SS militarized jackboots of all stripes and colors are most definitely NOT going to “allow” themselves to be “fired” and/or “disbanded”…

Guaranteed they are prepared/preparing to contain and control ANY such attempts to reign them in…

You’d better get busy if you want to wake-up your fellow “citizens” and neighbors to what WILL be brought against them…

Sure, today they are bringing that stuff to bear in their “war against some plants and drugs” and tomorrow it will be the “war against some immigrants of one color or another” and then the next day it will be the “war against some religions and beliefs” and then after that it will be the “war against anyone doing business without gunvernment permission” and then they will hunt down those who simply hide away in the forest eating whatever they can find(just like the other forest creatures…except that those creatures can attain “endangered species” status…YOU most certainly will be hunted down and kidnapped and even murdered…for just trying to exist alongside the other creatures of the forest…

Hey, got my beer and my big-screen and my football and some smoke…no worries…

Indeed…

Be afraid…very afraid…

By: billy-jay

billy-jay — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:28:11 +0000

And cop’s kids go to school with the everyone else’s kids? I wonder what would happen if someone’s kid kicked one of the police kid’s ass. I shudder to think.

By: billy-jay

billy-jay — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:26:41 +0000

Scott @ 21 beat me to the point about the penetrating power of an M16. Sorry, man, I can’t give you more than a +1.

By: CEH

CEH — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:23:29 +0000

#34 “And yes the police are indeed becoming an occupying army. It’s becoming more and more difficult to distinguish between the two no matter where they live or where their kids go to school. They’re being used as a means to instill fear and blind obedience among the citizenry, generate revenue and enforce the dictates of the ruling aristocracy by any means necessary.” = Community Policing? I guess the authority inherent to the law enforcement profession, even when used appropriately, safely and effectively, just doesn’t fit with the ideals of some folks. Deal with the misconduct and mistakes of a few, don’t paint the entire profession with such a broad brush.

By: UNRR

UNRR — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:15:46 +0000

This post has been linked for the HOT5 Daily 6/18/2009, at The Unreligious Right

By: Max D.

Max D. — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 08:29:18 +0000

I’d like to get some of this stuff. Do you think I could pull it off with just some official-looking letterhead?

By: Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 04:39:27 +0000

As much as I am horrified/disturbed/enraged by the whole trend of police militarization I don’t get all worked up over the DoD passing out free M-16s. The AR-15/M-16 is the most popular rifle in America for any number of reasons and is a perfectly acceptable firearm for a peace officer to have in the trunk of his squad car. It’s the lever action Winchester of today. A utilitarian customizable rifle.

The only modification I would like to see made is for the police to be required to replace the full auto or 3-round burst feature to limit the weapon to semi-auto only fire. 1. Police have no requirement a fully automatic firearm and 2. the citizenry isn’t allowed to have them (for the most part) so neither should the police.

As for tanks, military uniforms, M-2 machine guns, attack dogs, helicopters, tanks and armored cars they shouldn’t be allowed to have them. One really has a difficult time seeing a circumstance where they need a .50 caliber sniper rifle since most police precision shooting/sniping is done at under 100 yards.

And yes the police are indeed becoming an occupying army. It’s becoming more and more difficult to distinguish between the two no matter where they live or where their kids go to school. They’re being used as a means to instill fear and blind obedience among the citizenry, generate revenue and enforce the dictates of the ruling aristocracy by any means necessary.

By: Dan Z

Dan Z — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 03:34:21 +0000

I live in Lenawee County where one of those armored vehicle links is from. Its a bustling county ins outeastern michigan, largest city is Adrian at about 22,000 people, I can only imagine what they would use this for in a county where the most arrests seem to be drunk driving.

By: CEH

CEH — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 03:30:37 +0000

#31, Perception is reality to some, but that doesn’t mean it’s the truth. Police are not some occupying army, they are your neighbors and their kids go to school with your kids. A few bad apples, even if that’s a thousand of them, is not all of them or anywhere near all of them.

By: Tsu Dho NIhm

Tsu Dho NIhm — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 02:32:13 +0000

The armor vehicles are typically used for Shock & Awe: Of the citizenry.

That's a perfect assessment. And I'd like to add that Shock & Awe is nothing more than a euphemism for terrorize.