Why do America's police need an armored tank?

Whoa... hold on. Did someone mention a tank ? Well if they have a tank then it must also have some sort of stealth or cloaking technology, because all I saw just there was a small scale APC . A tank is specificaly a caterpillar tracked vehicle carrying cannon, machine guns, flamethrowers or rockets. They have only one purpose largely speaking, and that is to wreck enemy targets while offering above average protection against the kinds of fire they can deploy.
What you have here is a heavily modified ford truck, and as hardcore as that thing is, it is not, and could never be a tank. Frankly if your little tonker toy truck came up against the FV214 Conqueror tank it would get flipped over and penetrated without even a whimper of protest, even though the Conqueror is a little long in the tooth these days, heavy as hell, and slow. Regardless, if you want to worry about the police getting tanks, I would wait till they get some before getting all hypertensive about it.
Oh and by the way, this police vehicle that everyone finds so primaly terrifying... things could be worse ! They could have a modified one of these :

conquestvehicles.com...

reply to post by SLAYER69


lol.. That was great Slayer.

I just wanted to add my input on the question of the Op.

I feel that TPTB in the US are starting to see that they are having a harder and harder time keeping the peace. One thing I can tell you is that when americans get pissed and want to go out with a bang, they go out with a bang. The cops need this kind of weaponry and vehicle protection to feel that they are still on top.

I doubt that the vehicle shown could stop a fifty calibur round.
The Barrett rifle in 50 cal come in semi auto.
Also would be suceptible to molotov coctails and IED.s
They fact they have these things is certainly justification for studying counter measures.

Originally posted by RickyD
My cousin was engaged to a Va State Trooper SWAT sniper and they actually brought the APC with turret gun (I forget the caliber but it was not under .50 cal) over to the house for his birthday. I heard a few stories of it being used to make "hard" breaches like through a wall and to drive the team into hostile fire to breach buildings. Not saying they really need it but hell it was pretty cool! And yes I got to ride in it...

The weapon the VA State troopers mount on their APC is a M240B. I have done training with them before at their academy in Richmond.

Secure

reply to post by xXxtremelySecure


I see well I guess I remembered it wrong. Are you sure that's what's mounted on all of em?

reply to post by TrueBrit


I want one of those. It would come in handy next trip to Detroit.

Actually, it seems like cities are becoming more like war zones these days; especially with the kind of weapons that seem to slip by under the "right to bear arms" thing in the states. Dunno, I am really starting to miss those "good old days" of peace and tranquility, or am I just going senile in my old age??

Americans asking why their Police need tanks? Perhaps if every person they encounter wasn't a potential gun-owner there might not be a need to surround themselves with plate armour and .50 Cal machine guns.

It's not that hard to figure out you know.

reply to post by Xcathdra


If you didn't notice, I referenced watching this event live on local news in my op. I still believe the first robber to go down did not shoot himself but was taken out by a well aimed shot from a police man's service revolver.

It is possible these vehicles are seen as a deterrent to civilian uprisings as well as tactical vehicles for use in NHS type scenarios. The more heavily armored the police state appears, the more the average person not addled by video game fantasies will think twice about coming out of their armchair to take it on.

Originally posted by BuzzingOn
What is also interesting is why do police departments need such police cars like modified Corvettes and Dodge Chargers. I used to see these all the time in California. I once saw a police Lamborghini in Las Vegas. Is the Crown Victoria not luxury enough that departments feel they need sports cars also? As a tax payer I would vote 'no' for departments getting such vehicles. The next thing you know all police officer's will be driving Porche's and Ferrari's as the normal patrol vehicle. States sure know how to waste money.

2cents.
Bzzzzzzz

RE the exotic cars. Those types of vehicles are usually forfeitures, meaning that they were seized from drug dealers and the like.

reply to post by wayno


Hey , I hear you loud and clear. Used to be that here in Britain you would only see an armed officer if there had just been an incident like an armed robbery , shooting, or organised crime sting operation. Nowadays , you cannot go to the capital city, or any major centre of population without encountering an armed response unit officer, striding around with an MP5 , trigger finger held up on the side of his weapon, eyes casting about for targets and threats.
And for what exactly ? Having an armed officer just roaming about doesnt make for a safer Britain. Having enough of them, and having fast response teams set up in strategic locations around the cities and suburbs is a good idea, but I do not see the need for them to be out on patrol with thier automatic weapons. Its not as if they are more effective as a deterant that way. Most of the really nasty mobs in the cities see that sort of foolish display as a target, rather than a deterant.
You arent going senile. One of the smartest people I ever met said to me once, that to live in this world and not be sent mad by it, is evidence of insanity itself. Some times you just cant beat the wisdom of your own mother

That's not such a difficult question. The Middle East style revolution will come to the US soon enough. We're just waiting for the economy to collapse. It's really not that many years left.

reply to post by sonofliberty1776


Not so. The city police in my locality use the Dodge Charger exclusively for patrol and pursuit. I have also seen the Corvette used by the CHP.

Originally posted by yourmaker


"shooting Wednesday night at King George Boulevard and Highway 10 -- just around the corner from the Surrey RCMP detachment."
2 blocks from where I live.

You admit to Surrey Sorry, couldn't resist, I used to live there too, in rootin tootin Newton area....

If anywhere in Canada is going to have that, I can see it in Vancouver and outlying areas, like Surrey. It was always kind of a scary place for crime. And that was years ago....

reply to post by Icarus Rising


You consider the Charger and Corvette exotic?

Chargers are being used in departments all over the county, they are simply the new platform. Hardly excotic though. Vettes aren't really exotic either. Some of them are fast though and that's what is needed on the highway. The real exotics are almost always taken from drug stings. Usually if you get behind one it will say "compliments of your neighborhood drug dealer" or something similiar.

reply to post by SLAYER69


That's the first thing that popped into my head, "send in the car". Too funny!

i have to admit that I had similar thoughts...

Why does my police force need a large nuclear bunker....

did anybody actually see that this vehicle isnt an Army Tank and doesnt resemble one in the very least...at risk of being called a troll here, this story is over sensationalized. How many Police officers have lost their lives in the past 65 days. Does anybody but me see things just a little crazier in the streets? Unless we go to a "Minority Report" system of stopping crime before it starts, Criminals will be Criminals......and, Coppers will be Coppers.....Look, a dirty Shyster Lawyer is just that ..untill you need one, then he is your best friend...right?