St. Cloud Minnesota has a population of approximately 66,000, according to Wikipedia and now it also has a $400,000 tank, thanks to a Homeland Security policy of giving military gear to local law enforcement.
The SWAT team will use the tank–which is built to endure grenade explosions–when executing search warrants or responding to disturbances that may involve knives or firearms.Local police are increasingly utilizing military-style vehicles and equipment–in large part thanks to federal government programs. The federal Department of Homeland Security gives billions of dollars to local law enforcement units for the purposes of procuring armored cars and other army gear.
While it is true that a SWAT team may feel safer in a vehicle designed to resist mines and grenades, this is another example in a growing trend of militarizing police forces across America.
Do you think the DHS should be arming local law enforcement with military-grade hardware?
Source: The Daily Caller
Photo: StCloud Times
overkill
i want one to drive to work in the winter.
Hmmm….Now why would local police need to militarize themselves with heavy armor? I know why…..Lets disarm the civilian population little by little until the only legal gun allowed under the Constitutional right to bear arms will be pellet and BB guns, thus making the civilians more vulnerable to violent crimes and further dependence on the government until one day…hopefully not anytime soon, the government will suddenly be the ones performing the violent crimes against it’s citizens and the people will not have the force to defend themselves against their own governments……..Scary thought, but do you really think one day, after even the local police have military equipment and heavy armor, you get pulled over and they happen to threaten you or perform tyrannical threats, do you really think they will respect you and your so called rights, especially if little by little our Congress takes a little more of our rights with each bill and law they pass? What happens when you decide to voice your opinion if after they have decided one day that you can’t make any negative opinions on other people’s actions or beliefs because it may cause psychological harm to that person or others listening? Hmmm, crazy idea but it seems with all the school shootings going on and the apparent mental disorders they possess, I’m sure they will come up with some type of censorship for facebook, radio, or tv so as to appease those who might be insane….Who knows….But It’s getting scary to look ahead and plan for the future….
St. Cloud is 60 miles north of the Twin Cities. A potential staging area? Hmmm…