Leave it to Rocky Mountain Mike to find a nugget of humor in the ongoing crisis in Ferguson, Missouri. Though, hopefully we're getting a consensus that the militarization of the police is at the very least disturbing.
If you want more Rocky Mountain Mike, go here.
If you want more Rocky Mountain Mike, go here.
The military has supplying government agencies for decades- this is just the latest talking point.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a volunteer firefighter in the day of the cave man, the Fed's gave us these old military to use as water tankers or grass/wild fire trucks. Many a park district also used these trucks for the same thing. And the cops got the surplus guns.... except see my blog...
Now, the donations are bigger, granted, but they, in most cases are not being abused.
I don't think it's a talking point. I think it looks bizarre and freaky to turn a town into a virtual war zone. There is no need for tanks. There is no need for automatic weapons. There is no need for camoflauge. And there is really, really no need to be aiming their guns at unarmed people. That's a police no-no.
ReplyDeleteThe protective gear should also be marked with an identifier so we are sure which cop did what, when, and where. A coded marker is OKAY if taken seriously so at least courts can find out which cop. There should be automatic penalty for not wearing the identifer, a very serious one and for the commander who deploys unmarked cops. The iron wall of anonymous jack booted riot cops leads to abuse. All the cops should also have video equipment. The tanks and other HEAVY military riot gear ought to require the Governor or some other very high ranking ELECTED official to be on the scene and personally have the authority and the RESPONSIBILITY for everything that happens connected to the use of the heavy stuff. The ability of elected politicians to send the cops with orders or the understanding that they are going to bust heads and then wash their hands and throw the guy they appointed under the bus to avoid responsibility is not a working system for the citizens.
ReplyDeleteHere's what I don't get: The FBI has a big F-B-I on their outerwear, often the cops have POLICE on theirs. There are other examples, such as ATF. And yet here, we've got cops in CAMOUFLAGE? Why should cops "blend in" unless they are undercover?
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