The militarization of the police

With the information provided below, does this not suggest a soon to be police state? For example the Cato institute released a study called Overkill: The Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids in America by Radley Balko.

www.cato.org...

In it they state that in 1997 alone the pentagon handed out 1.2 million pieces of military equipment to local police departments. In Jasper Florida, a city with a population just under 2000 people and hasn’t has a murder in under 14 years were given military grade M16 machineguns. The report goes onto say that in Wisconsin alone during the 1990’s local police departments were given nearly 100,000 pieces of military equipment valued at more then 18 million dollars.

Police state: en.wikipedia.org...

When a state in which the government exercises rigid and repressive controls over social, economic and political life of the population, especially by means of a secret police force which operates above the normal constraints found in a liberal democracy.

‘Secret police force’ – the police who cover their faces and don’t where badges or have name tags that identify themselves incase they do something wrong and need to be held accountable.

www.counterpunch.org...

There are now 17,000 local American police forces that are armed with rocket launches, bazookas, heavy machine guns, all kinds of chemical sprays, in fact some of them have tanks. You now have local police departments that are equipped beyond the standard of American heavy infantry.

Oh yeah, it's coming, no doubt about it.

Thugs in blue.

Apart from their allegiance to their elite masters, no longer for the common man is it "to protect and serve" it's now, "to put-down and suppress."

These aren't the greates shots, but here are pics of military vehicles staged at a county fire-training center in NY State. Why?

We have some unmarked cars in our county that always creep me out. I don't like it. I think the strategy is to completely saturate the country in guns, making any attempt at invasion futile.

So you got your missle shield, your Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and Gulf of Mexico (natural boundaries), and a populous armed to the teeth. The only week spot is Canada, especially as global climate change possibly opens the north country open. Self destruction is another possibility. It may not be a trained army but its 301,139,947 strong with the most toys.

reply to post by stikkinikki

We have some unmarked cars in our county that always creep me out.

Any Federal parks in your county? I noticed that the Rangers around here went from regular patrol vehicles, clearly marked with the appropriate logo and wide green stripe, to unmarked SUV's. I really wonder why they would need unmarked units, especially in parks as small as the ones around here.

Originally posted by jackinthebox
reply to post by stikkinikki

 

We have some unmarked cars in our county that always creep me out.

Any Federal parks in your county? I noticed that the Rangers around here went from regular patrol vehicles, clearly marked with the appropriate logo and wide green stripe, to unmarked SUV's. I really wonder why they would need unmarked units, especially in parks as small as the ones around here.

Funny you should mention that. yes.

reply to post by stikkinikki

Funny you should mention that. yes.

I'm bettin' you're seeing unmarked Feds then. I know a high-ranking Navy intelligence officer that just retired from active duty so he could go to work for the Park Service. Somehow I don't think those park guards are just chasing vandals who carve picnic tables anymore.

I know a high-ranking Navy intelligence officer that just retired from active duty so he could go to work for the Park Service.

I don’t suppose you could fill me in on what’s really going then – it seems you know more then the average person regarding this topic


[edit on 2-4-2008 by andre18]

reply to post by andre18


I can't say I have anything solid. But I have two seperate theories regarding the recent changes in the Park Service.

The first would be that the entire Park Service went to unmarked vehicles due to the problems in a few parks. I mostly think about the massive drug operations that are happening in the larger parks.

The second is that something big is going to happen, and is being prepared for incrimentally. Federal lands are extremely valuable. I wonder if they might now be slated to become sort of feudal manors, closed off and secured from the masses outside who are starving and dieing.

Ok, i have a quetion, if a policy in changed in oncee place (where murders and shoot outs are fairly common) does it also affect another place (where murderes are rare and barely anyone owns a gun)? If so, i remember it used to be a big thing that policed were underfunded and underequipped to respond to some instances. I remember back in my old neighberhood a couple of kids were able to out gun the police, all they had were thei pistols. Kids had shotguns, rifles, handguns, ect. Not much by way of ammo though. There wasn't much they could do about it.

reply to post by RuneSpider

Ok, i have a quetion, if a policy in changed in oncee place (where murders and shoot outs are fairly common) does it also affect another place (where murderes are rare and barely anyone owns a gun)?

To varying degrees. The LAPD didn't have assault weapons until after the two bank robbers went on a rampage with AK-47's and M-16's dressed in full body armor. I'm sure other departments kept that in mind as well, and pushed for better armament.

But in the case of the Federal Park Service, I could see certain equipment decisions being made across the board. If they needed a certain thing in one park, all of the parks may have gotten the equipment or changed their protocol.

I have received an anonymous message from someone who has been reading this thread.

The person states that they did work for the Natioanl Park Service and had to undergo an FBI backround check, despite the fact that the nature of their work was not sensitive. Here is my interpretation of why this may have been, based on their input suggesting it had something to do with the Patriot Act.

There were a few people who did need to have a backround check done, working in certain border areas perhaps, or maybe working with explosives. But for the most part, there really is little need for a civilian contractor to have their backround dug through like that. But since the Patriot Act came in, this measure probably became a blanket protocol. It gives the government an excuse to dig through as many backrounds as possible, at taxpayer expense. Infomation society meets surveillance society. What a brave new world. :shk:

[edit on 4/2/0808 by jackinthebox]

reply to post by jackinthebox


Or because they're federal employees protecting large swathes of area.

But I guess we can just go for the conspiracy, as that's more fun, and far easier.

So much fertile ground too cover.

I have always had a problem with any cop dressed in military uniforms and acting as soldier wanne-bees. They should be in a uniform that readily identifies them as police officers, not some para-military organization. I'm sure someone more versed than myself could explain the psychology of wearing black clothes and carrying big guns as related to ego enhancement.

I'd have some problems with people busting into my house in the middle of the night wearing ninja masks and black uniforms. I further venture that a fire fight would soon establish itself until someone clearly identified themselves. This happened a few years ago in a city not far from where I live. A cop was killed, but the person was found innocent because SWAT did not fully identify themselves.

As for the police weapons, the bank robbers in LA woke everyone up. Homeland Security money became available for better firearms after that event.

Now for the Park employees. There have been a high number of crimes including murder at national parks in just the last couple of years. The daze of Ranger Smith chasing after Yogi Bear and Boo Boo are over. Rangers have been shot at and need more than a revolver to protect themselves. Remember, most parks are large and backup may be many minutes away at best.

The vehicles are provided by the GSA. Someone within the park system, at the bureau level, specified the type of vehicle but the GSA buys vehicles in bulk. This is why they all look alike. Vehicles are also phased out at fairly much the same time so the turnover rate is high.

reply to post by dave420


Um, no. Doing work for the National Park Service does not make one a Federal employee. Nor does it mean the person or persons are responsible for protecting anything.

[edit on 4/2/0808 by jackinthebox]

reply to post by hinky

As for the police weapons, the bank robbers in LA woke everyone up. Homeland Security money became available for better firearms after that event.

Technically, it was only Federal funds, as the Department of Homeland Security did not exist in the early 90's.

The vehicles are provided by the GSA. Someone within the park system, at the bureau level, specified the type of vehicle but the GSA buys vehicles in bulk. This is why they all look alike. Vehicles are also phased out at fairly much the same time so the turnover rate is high.

This is true, but why the shift to unmarked vehicles? There are reasons for having clearly marked vehicles, and reasons to not have patrol vehicles clearly marked. Definate shift in tactics and job description.

I think the GSA has shifted more towards gray(silver) or white vehicles without the traditional markings that were in place. Part of this is the cost of a custom paint job where funding has been cut. The GSA also has to remove custom paint jobs before vehicles are sold, this is a funding issue also.

White or gray vehicles are just convenient. When in doubt about the vehicle, look at the license plate. It will be a GSA plate.

Yeah, hadn't thought about timeline of the robbery and Homeland development. I do know Homeland funds have bought tons of weapons and communication gear.

I get the feeling that we will all soon be seeing "police action" in our communities.They will start out slowly,targeting known gun owners.They'll want to take out any potential leaders as soon as possible.I sure do dread this happening,I don't want to have to shoot anyone.But I can!

Here’s a good example of the kind of unnecessary police force I’m talking about – it’s good to know we don’t have this sort of problem in Australia

reply to post by jackinthebox


so its legal to wear a mask if ur a cop?

u get shot by a cop and cant identify who it was, ummm crazy world