By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
Police Chief Bob Berg explains why the Centralia Police Department is one of 17 agencies in the state which have acquired mine-resistant MRAP vehicles, under the military’s surplus program, in a Seattle Times news story.
News reporter Mike Carter writes that agencies from Aberdeen to Yakima have taken advantage of the Defense Department’s so-called “1033” program, authorized by Congress in 1991 to allow surplus and outdated military items to make their way to police agencies.
In Washington, police have received more than $21 million worth of military hardware, according to Carter; nationwide it amounts to more than $5 billion.
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just 1 more way that our police force is being militarized and as we seen used against the American public military hardware …used against the American public
if they keep us in fear they can do anything they want ..as they have try for as long as I can remember first the Russian were coming and then it was a communist from south east asia now it is the taliban who’s coming to get us but in reality we created the Taliban so I guess if they are coming they use a lot of mines and we will need of mine sweepe. Or not
“keep people scared and they will vote any way you want” It’s about intimidation and making citizens feel helpless and dependent on Big Brother for security
This is what we the people allow. Yeah lewis county really needs this cause its just that bad out there. Auction it off, you know, like you do when you seize private property without due process of law ( that pesky 14th amendment) and use the money to fill some pot holes or buy some rocket launchers for the po po cause, you know, meth head probably cant out run a rocket launcher.
You don’t take MRAPs into floods, you take boats. How many MRAPs did you see during Hurricane Katrina? Zero? That’s because everybody used boats. You don’t drive a 3 ton armored vehicle in flood waters.
The only use the MRAP will get is to intimidate and threaten current and potential criminals and to drive it in parades. Most of the use of the MRAP will be to show it off at schools and the county fair. It will cost a lot of money for fuel to make all those appearances.
And if the 1033 Welfare Program does extend to the fire department, you will NOT see these vehicles being used as a ‘fire attack apparatus’ because the county doesn’t have the money to engineer such an expensive upgrade.
The whole thing is a waste. It would be cheaper to invest in rubber rafts in case of a flood than an armored tank. And kevlar can stop most bullets. How many criminals do you know that use grenade launchers or anti tank missiles? Zero?
For the probably 100 miles or less per year it will be driven who really cares what mileage it gets. When it floods again a lot of people will be glad to see it driving through the water. It’s not a tank with a huge amount of fire power. It is simply a well built vehicle that can be used for anything. If the 1033 program is ever extended to fire departments you’ll see the being converted to first fire attack apparatus.
Don’t those things get like 3 miles to the gallon?
Intimidation. That’s why they have it
Even if it was free this is going to be really expensive. What is the real cost per mile driven???