Why Do the Police Have Tanks? The Strange and Dangerous Militarization of the US Police Force - Polidicks

[QUOTE=Ridge;31226596]Personally, I hate seeing the police outfitted like this. Under what possible circumstances would a patrol officer need to flip his M-16 to automatic and unleash a hellstorm of bullets? What can it do that a civilian semi auto AR-15 cannot?[/QUOTE] a controlled trigger finger on a disciplined cop and a fully automatic weapon will do much more good than harm [editline]20th July 2011[/editline] unfortunately a lot of cops are young, inexperienced, and jerky

[QUOTE=ButtsexV3;31226614]a controlled trigger finger on a disciplined cop and a fully automatic weapon will do much more good than harm [editline]20th July 2011[/editline] unfortunately a lot of cops are young, inexperienced, and jerky[/QUOTE] less-lethal-rounds then?

[QUOTE=Madman_Andre;31223489]Considering the firepower the Branch Davidians had access to at Waco and those two ass-hats at columbine had, A well-equipped SWAT Team with access to full body armor, automatic weaponry and armored vehicles would have solved the problems with far less bloodshed.[/QUOTE] i don't know anything about waco but at columbine the shooters didn't even engage police did they? i thought they just shot a bunch of kids then killed themselves before any real response could happen

[QUOTE=_Maverick_;31226642]less-lethal-rounds then?[/QUOTE]less-lethal rounds aren't actually less-leathal, except for rare cases like peppershot or bean-bag rounds. As much as those two rounds hurt, they're not going to stop someone fucked out of their mind on pcp

[QUOTE=ButtsexV3;31226660]less-lethal rounds aren't actually less-leathal, except for rare cases like peppershot or bean-bag rounds. As much as those two rounds hurt, they're not going to stop someone fucked out of their mind on pcp[/QUOTE] yeah.. and i guess they are going to do fuck all against people like the ones who you guys said wore body armour. it's really a tough situation

[QUOTE=ButtsexV3;31226660]less-lethal rounds aren't actually less-leathal, except for rare cases like peppershot or bean-bag rounds. As much as those two rounds hurt, they're not going to stop someone fucked out of their mind on pcp[/QUOTE] Or someone with a gun

A country that sacrifices a little liberty for a little security, deserves neither, and loses both.

[QUOTE=carcarcargo;31226696]Or someone with a gun[/QUOTE]well if the person with the gun also happens to be extremely receptive to pain they might be in luck

[QUOTE=lifehole;31226717]A country that sacrifices a little liberty for a little security, deserves neither, and loses both.[/QUOTE]Nobody's loosing liberties or security. And quit parroting Franklin, the zeitgeist of his time is completely different from ours. [QUOTE=Lachz0r;31226650]i don't know anything about waco but at columbine the shooters didn't even engage police did they? i thought they just shot a bunch of kids then killed themselves before any real response could happen[/QUOTE]They shot at SWAT teams through the library windows before committing suicide.

[QUOTE=Dr_Funk;31226499]We like to talk about the failures of SWAT - how about its successes?[/QUOTE] Yeah. I would easily say nearly every time the SWAT team is deployed, they're used successfully and safely protect the public. Again, stuff like a corgi gets shot or the wrong house is entered are very rare instances.

[QUOTE=Keegs;31221754]Detroit [b]is[/b] a warzone :smug:[/QUOTE] True story. Ever seen the movie RoboCop? it fucking predicted the future almost exactly... You know, other than a giant cop robot

[QUOTE=RR_Raptor65;31222348]To the average person who isn't an armchair general, the two are one in the same. If it can be driven and is bullet proof, it's a tank.[/QUOTE] Are you kidding? I knew the difference when I was six because I played with god damn army men, not because I'm an armchair general.

[QUOTE=TheTalon;31227656]True story. Ever seen the movie RoboCop? it fucking predicted the future almost exactly... You know, other than a giant cop robot[/QUOTE] everything cept the cool part.

Well, if the SWAT ever buy the Pav-1, perhaps the term "tanks" will be a little more appropriate. [img]http://media.techeblog.com/images/guinness-world-records.jpg[/img]

Funny, our efforts to make friends in Afghanistan have completely gone to shit specifically because US soldiers are kicking doors down in the middle of the night, shooting people, and hauling others away. Yet this [i]exact same thing[/i] happens 40,000 times a year in our own country and nobody has anything to say about it. People still do drugs. Drug dealers still get rich. Absolutely nothing has changed in the 40 years that the US has pursued it's drug war, and all we've accomplished is making it acceptable for machine gun-wielding paramilitary "police" to blow down doors, shoot anyone that moves, and abduct the rest.

[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;31228314]Funny, our efforts to make friends in Afghanistan have completely gone to shit specifically because US soldiers are kicking doors down in the middle of the night, shooting people, and hauling others away. Yet this [i]exact same thing[/i] happens 40,000 times a year in our own country and nobody has anything to say about it. People still do drugs. Drug dealers still get rich. Absolutely nothing has changed in the 40 years that the US has pursued it's drug war, and all we've accomplished is making it acceptable for machine gun-wielding paramilitary "police" to blow down doors, shoot anyone that moves, and abduct the rest.[/QUOTE] fuck the system man *tokes a big huge joint*

[QUOTE=Reimu;31228366]fuck the system man *tokes a big huge joint*[/QUOTE] The cops are at the door. No search warrant. You have 10 seconds before the door explodes and they shoot you.

[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;31228995]The cops are at the door. No search warrant. You have 10 seconds before the door explodes and they shoot you.[/QUOTE] Yes, because this is how most SWAT encounters play out. Innocent lives are sorrowfully interrupted by mistaken, murderous SWAT teams.

[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;31228314]Funny, our efforts to make friends in Afghanistan have completely gone to shit specifically because US soldiers are kicking doors down in the middle of the night, shooting people, and hauling others away. Yet this [i]exact same thing[/i] happens 40,000 times a year in our own country and nobody has anything to say about it. People still do drugs. Drug dealers still get rich. Absolutely nothing has changed in the 40 years that the US has pursued it's drug war, and all we've accomplished is making it acceptable for machine gun-wielding paramilitary "police" to blow down doors, shoot anyone that moves, and abduct the rest.[/QUOTE] Wait... we're in a police state currently? I hadn't noticed, what with all this not police state we're currently experiencing. There ARE no intentional random "Charge random house shooty shooty abduct yay fun time" SWAT raids. It's either successful in some way or an accident. You notice an accident more because it's out of the ordinary and thus reported upon. You don't make note of a chef if he made a hamburger, unless he accidentally made you a live cow, and it's the same principle.

Here's a good example of a SWAT raid gone wrong: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng6mfpZ2kR4[/media] Now, read the description section: [quote] During the raid, 5 concussion grenades were exploded in and around the home. One of the grenades exploded near the feet of the young lady visitor seen in the video who at the time was seated on the couch. Two additional grenades were exploded subsequent to the arrest on the premise that the CPD needed to prove that the previous 5 grenades had done no damage. The grenades left clear charred remains on the carpet and other areas of the home. [/quote] See how the raid is carried out? You have two issues at hand here: poor tactical decisions and poor use of a SWAT team. THESE are the problems with our SWAT raids. Not run 'n' gun hold-ups and shootings. No one is shot or killed except the two dogs. Otherwise the SWAT team approaches the situation very professionally. They are reasonable with the current occupants after the search.

Wouldn't it have been better to just send some officers down there rather than a SWAT team?

[QUOTE=carcarcargo;31229332]Wouldn't it have been better to just send some officers down there rather than a SWAT team?[/QUOTE] You never know, man. Could be an ambush or something.

[QUOTE=carcarcargo;31229332]Wouldn't it have been better to just send some officers down there rather than a SWAT team?[/QUOTE] Generally with things like suspected drug raids or illegal fire arms, it's much easier to be safer then sorry. Though killing the dogs and using 5 flash bangs is going way over the top.

This is thing with the "war" on drugs. You make it a war, you create soldiers on both sides. If the dealers and drug scene didn't lead to so many other crimes and bodies dropped, no one would give a shit about some guys getting high in shitholes.

I agree that get teams better weapons is good, but only coupled with better intelligence. (Much better intelligance)

[QUOTE=carcarcargo;31229332]Wouldn't it have been better to just send some officers down there rather than a SWAT team?[/QUOTE] Because it was simply marijuana, a SWAT team probably wasn't necessary. That depends on how much the suspect is possessing though, but even then marijuana dealers aren't specifically known for being high-profile suspects. The issue of safety comes into play though, and I wouldn't be surprised if there was more to the picture than the video and description let on. The suspect had no prior convictions, but if I do recall correctly he was a dealer of sorts.

"This is a war, And this is your fate, We are the face of your new police state, We are the law, And we’ve got the guns, Statutory powers, Mandatory minimums" [video=youtube;pV7u91A3KGQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV7u91A3KGQ[/video]

Guess what, in the UK policemen don't even carry guns and yet I would feel safe in any part of the entire country. Tanks and weapons do not guarantee safety.

[QUOTE=_Maverick_;31226203]the some of the British police have guns, but i believe they fire non lethal rounds[/QUOTE] Well I don't know about where you live, but Central Scotland police has firearms officers that are deployed when necessary, standard police officers are only armed with batons (might have CS spray too, can't remember).

[QUOTE=Ridge;31226596]People here keep referring to WACO. There was no SWAT teams there. It was all federal agencies like the FBI and ATF... Personally, I hate seeing the police outfitted like this. Under what possible circumstances would a patrol officer need to flip his M-16 to automatic and unleash a hellstorm of bullets? What can it do that a civilian semi auto AR-15 cannot? And SWAT was originally designed to be used in case of hostage situations and attacking known armed fugitives. Not the bullshit they are used for now like kicking down a door in a suburban neighborhood to bust someone for pot. Personally, it IS frightening to see such a militarized police force in every town.[/QUOTE] Yeah except this article is a bunch of fucking hyperbole Patrol officers are still given AR15s, not automatic M16s or M4A1s. The equipment and vehicles haven't changed since the 80s, the guy who wrote this is just a fucking idiot whose rant took priority over his attention span to researching what he was talking about. I'll believe they are becoming a militarized police force when they are actually driving TANKS, and carrying MGs or rocket launchers. [editline]20th July 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=scotland1;31229667]Guess what, in the UK policemen don't even carry guns and I would feel safe in any part of the entire country. Tanks and weapons do not guarantee a safe country.[/QUOTE] Yeah your comment is p. bad timing considering you have a relatively new unit that patrols certain sections of the UK with rifles and subguns.