He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
TN Police Departments Get Tank-Like Military Vehicles:
GALLATIN, Tenn. ā It could have been a part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, but now a 21-ton Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle, or MRAP, is on the streets of Gallatin.
“It’s like waking up on Christmas morning and having the best present you ever had,” said Asst. Chief William Sorrells.
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When you compare it to the customized 1980s military ambulance they have now with ballistic blankets only one side the MRAP is 360-degrees of reinforced protection.
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“It’s so much better just knowing that there’s all this protection in between us and somebody trying to hurt us,” McFadden said while taking us on a ride along Friday.
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So far only Gallatin, Hendersonville, Murfreesboro and Lewisburg* have the vehicle.
A couple of things…
It’s not a $#%(ing Christmas present. It’s a piece of military equipment that you have absolutely no need for. We in the gunnie community often say “what’s need got to do with it” in regards to firearms, but the huge difference here is that we won’t be using our evil assault-style clips to knock down people’s houses for fun and profit.
Gallatin has about 30,000 residents. They have 15 SWAT raids a year. How many times last year did one of those raids involve “somebody trying to hurt [Gallatin SWAT]”? Of those, how many involved the suspect actually shooting at officers? Of those, how many involved the suspect shooting at the bullet-resistant vehicle they already have? And finally, out of those incidents where suspects who were intent on hurting Gallatin SWAT and actually opened fire and actually hit the armored vehicle they already have do so with a weapon capable of penetrating that vehicle?
None?
Okay, how about we expand that to the last ten years? Twenty?
Has there ever been an incident where this $700,000 vehicle would have made any difference whatsoever?
How many times are the Gallatin PD running into IEDs? Do I need to stop going up there to visit? Is it so dangerous up there that businesses should relocate to a safer area?
This is the same police department that acted so egregiously I found myself on the side of Leonard Embody in a dispute.
I feel safer. Don’t you?
*Gallatin: Pop 30,000, who’s PD mascot is, hilariously, Taser the Cat.
Hendersonville: Pop 52,000
Murfreesboro: Pop 112,000
Lewisburg: Pop 11,000 <--srsly wtf?
If a town like Gallatin honestly believes they need a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle for their daily police operations, I firmly and ardently believe I never need to visit Gallatin under any circumstances, and will encourage others to steer clear as well.
I would like to personally own a Bearcat, simply as a political statement.
The tank or the animal? The bearcat animal is pretty badass.
I personally await a visit from ‘Taser the Safety Cat’ mascot of Gallatin’s PD down here in Chattanooga. Oh please, let this be a traveling sideshow that visits my son’s school.
I shoot IDPA and 3gun with officers from this region, and for the life of me, they just don’t seem to have this mindset. Is this the new metropolitan LEO mindset? We are in serious trouble.
There’s a reason that of the 9 Peelian Principles 6 are about securing the trust of the public.
Specifically Number 7 “Police, at all times, should maintain a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent upon every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.”
Because otherwise the police become their own special class and that’s a hop and a sip away from being an occupying army.
I love it when people quote or reference my favorite Christmas movie.
And just remember… You The Taxpayer are the ones who paid for this unnecessary monstrosity. Either through direct taxpayer dollars, or through grants which are funded with tax dollars.
That said, considering I helped pay for it, I wonder if they’ll let me borrow it for the weekend or when DWH Jr. arrives so I can take hime home in it. After all, if it saves just one child. š
DWH
Taser the Safety Cat? Wow.
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