Walton County Sheriff’s Office Mike Adkinson states that their department just got a mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle (MRAP) for “an insurance policy,” in order to keep deputies safe in dangerous situations – citing examples past violence in the country.
However one journalist, Justin King, calls out Adkinson’s claims of violence as over exaggerated, instead stating that the county is virtually crime free.
Walton County Sheriff’s Officer Mike Adkinson denied that the purchase of the vehicle was an attempt to militarize the police department, adding that he wouldn’t let public opinion get in the way of the “safety” of his colleagues.
“This is not the federal government intruding on your civil liberties,” wrote Adkinson in a Facebook post. “Would you really want them sent into harm’s way without the best protection available, simply because the military originally purchased this vehicle?”
This didn’t stop residents expressing their anger at the decision to buy the vehicle, with one commenting that the purchase represented “an offensive intimidation method used to controll [sic] and strike fear.”
Another respondent agreed, remarking, “This doesn’t make the officers safer. All studies show that the more militarized a department becomes, the more often officers get hurt. This is Walton County, Florida, not Iraq, not Afghanistan.”
As Justin King points out, despite Adkinson’s effort to justify the purchase by pointing to examples where cops have had to deal with suspects barricaded inside their homes, Walton is such a peaceful and virtually crime free neighborhood that it was used to represent an idyllic American town in the 1998 movie The Truman Show.
“Walton County is a part of Florida that is so crime free you can leave your doors unlocked. When Hollywood location scouts were looking for a community so perfect that it appeared to be fake, they came to Walton County. The Truman Show, staring Jim Carey, was filmed on location in a small Walton County community,” writes King, accusing the Sheriff’s department of abandoning common sense by purchasing the vehicle and pointing out that it is only likely to spur additional violence.
“This vehicle is an implement of war. It has no place in this county. The decision to bring this to a small community will only increase violence against citizens by creating a combat mindset in deputies. This violence will be returned, and deputies will face violence on a level not seen before in Walton County,” writes King.
Fast furius
Makes perfect sense if the US government is stupid enough to give these high dollar vehicles away!
Soon they will get rid of these beasts as they are too costly to operate.
Even Cops in other jurisdiction think that these cops are IDIOTS….. they must REALLY be afraid of us… and they should be.
Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama and the Arab Spring . Barrack Obama and the Muslim Brotherhood. We know where they stand on Human Rights and Freedom. The Muslim Brotherhood is a Terrorist Organization. It always has been.
In nations with Sharia Law a child or a woman is only a slave and has no Human Rights or Freedoms.
Arrest Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama for Treason.
http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/dgreenfield/president-morsi-called-for-the-destruction-of-israel-and-terrorist-attacks-on-jews-around-the-world/
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/obama-mocks-congress-one-day-174300383.html
No Incumbents.
https://www.facebook.com/TheMindUnleashed/photos/a.434569209933563.103142.432632306793920/632902140100268/?type=1
To Protect and Serve.
Not in Obama’s Police State.
The Talking points about Benghazi were lies, Treason, Obstruction of Justice and the reason the Terrorists Escaped Justice.
Fire Every one of Obama’s Appointees and shred each of Obama’s Executive Orders.
Obama’s Terrorists are no different from anyone else’s Terrorists.
The United States and the EU created, finance, and supported the Violence and Terrorism in the Ukraine in an attempt to move Obama and NATO’s War into Europe.
End our stupid Wars.
Obamacare is the most unconstitutional piece of legislation ever passed, it is too expensive, and the delays are only good for the incumbents, and the delays are illegal.
no Incumbents
well we can plainly see where the govm’ts been wasting the tax money- all this huge pile of equipment by all departments of everything remotely resembling law enforcement. All i can say is, THEY BETTER BE USING THEM FOR OUR OWN CITIZENRY’S GOOD AND ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THINGS, when the islamic sharia terrist invasion power grab goes into full swing.
LAND MINES? the closest thing they have to that is COW PIES.
Also remember the drug cartels fly in tons of drugs in to florida.
who keeps citizens safe from these safety nudnicks? Doublespeak is getting very prolific, and creative. When cop go WILD….
I get and understand why this was posted. The problems and solutions are in the 12 Presidential Agendas at http://www.electcwspada.com. If you want to be informed 360 degrees and help solve these problems, take a look.