Police Commissioner Defends Giving Tanks And Automatic Weapons To Cops

[tmonster]

i dont really have a problem with most of the equipment, i can see some justified tactical reasons for special situations, whether it be the LA AK47 bank robbery or some barricade situation where you need the armored vehicle to safely advance. i have a problem with the entire mission of cops. generally, they know how to not abuse certain kinds of people with this equipment, it's cop behavior and accountability that is the issue. if your mission is to only protect and serve cacs, you will still kill black people with .38 specials. the weapons change, but the agenda is the same. the killings that sparked this unrest occurred with choke holds and pistols.

when they put a shell through your house and cover it up by defaming you in the media or asking why won't your supporters, in your fight to avenge your family, do more about black on black crime...it may change your perspective
police barely know how to manage the lethality of guns, can't imagine what happens when we increase the magnitude of the damage their weapons can reap

 

[NZA]

Eh, I don't think that wanting cops to be accountable and a having issues with excessive weaponry are things that are mutually exclusive.

While it's true that the larger issue is cop culture in general, I really don't see any reason for police departments to need grenade launchers and M16s. The problem with this is that -

1. Cops are not soldiers, are not trained like soldiers, are not trained on appropriate use of this equipment, and are not at war. So there's no real reason they need to be armed like soldiers.
2. If police departments have all this military equipment sitting around they're going to be itching to use it and just looking for any plausible reason to do so. Even cops with good intentions (relatively speaking) might get hyped up to use some military equipment.


My view is that cops are cops and soldiers are soldiers. If a situation escalates to the point of needing that kind of gear, then call in the National Guard. That's what they're for.

1. i agree that it is not mutually exclusive. regular cops definitely dont need grenades and m-16s, but given the examples of criminals using body armor and aks, it is proven that some cops do need ar15s sometimes (they actually had to borrow them from a local gunstore during the LA shootout)

2. that is definitely a problem. i think armored vehicles should only be owned by large cities (NY, LA, PHX, etc.) and automatics should only be owned by SWAT teams. there is no reason for ferguson PD to have armored vehicles, there is a plausible reason STL PD should have maybe one or two, and they should rarely ever be deployed.

the national gaurd is mobilized slowly and typically does not train in advanced tactics needed to handle tricky situations in civilian areas where there will be lots of civilians in danger (hostages, trick shots, etc.). because of this, major metropolitan areas will need SWAT to be equipped to some degree with special equipment. this equipment should all need to be justified and those SWAT members should be heavily trained. also, not every PD should have a SWAT.

 

[NZA]

when they put a shell through your house and cover it up by defaming you in the media or asking why won't your supporters, in your fight to avenge your family, do more about black on black crime...it may change your perspective
police barely know how to manage the lethality of guns, can't imagine what happens when we increase the magnitude of the damage their weapons can reap

they dont need "tanks", they may need armored personnel carriers for hostage situations. police APCs should never have cannons on them, purely defensive. and these should only be owned by major metropolitan areas and be used rarely.

 

[88m3]

cops shouldn't have guns period.

 

[CHL]

If only the police dept were an LLC. Then they wouldnt have to defend their actions from anybody, and deliver unimpeded value to shareholders.

perfect

 

[Ghost_In_A_Shell]

...you do not give children dangerous toys. you just don't........

the line between the police and the military is starting to erode by the minute