WPTV Florida reports that the Fort Pierce, Florida police
force is now armed with a US Military Surplus battle wagon – tank with wheels,
rather than treads. It’s a six wheeled,
30-ton armored vehicle worth $700,000, that the force got for $2000.
That seems kind of light. I would have picked it up for $2500 if given
the chance. I could have parked it in
the driveway. My wife would have
understood. I wouldn’t have taken crap
for taking up two spots at the Kroger parking lot, either.
Why would Fort Pierce, Florida
need a US Military Surplus Battle Wagon – let’s just call it a tank from here
on out, cause that’s what it is: for effect.
WPTV reports that Police Chief Sam Baldwin said “If
you see my SWAT team roll up in this, it’s over, so just give up.” Exactly. Because if you don’t give up, the
tank will just drive over and through your house.
Perhaps
realizing that sounded a little too gung-ho, anti-Fourth Amendment, WPTV
reported that However Baldwin hopes the
mine-resistant, ambush protection vehicle just stays parked. If used, it would
be for transporting the SWAT team and for a mobile command and rescue vehicle.
You
don’t buy a tank to store it in the driveway.
You buy a tank to drive the tank.
And since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are winding down, there are a
lot more of these surplus tanks going around, for cheap, to local police
departments. There’s been concern about
the militarization of local police forces (see Radley Balko’s book). That was without little towns owning tanks,
driving up to tense situations in tanks, and forcing people to surrender or
facing the tank.
It
seems like military vehicles should stay in the military and not go to local
police forces.
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