How a rural US sheriff's department was able to obtain a military-grade vehicle

[Nevilledog]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/02/california-sheriffs-department-mrap-armored-vehicles-trump

A sheriff’s department in a remote rural California county with only 18,000 people, no incorporated cities, few sworn officers and almost no crime, was able to obtain a second military-grade MRAP armored vehicle in 2017 by giving brief answers to a simple questionnaire, according to documents obtained under freedom of information requests.

MRAP stands for mine-resistant ambush protected, though the prospect of encountering mines or being ambushed would seem to be unlikely in even the toughest US police precincts.

The documents, provided to the Guardian by the transparency non-profit Property of the People, show how quickly Donald Trump’s 2017 reversal of the Barack Obama administration’s curtailment of the transfer of battlefield equipment to law enforcement agencies led to their renewed proliferation, and how little agencies had to do to demonstrate any real need for them.

The documents include Mariposa county sheriff’s office (MCSO) application for the second MRAP from the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). The application in September 2017, about a month after Trump reversed a 2015 Obama executive order which prohibited the transfer of equipment like armored vehicles, grenade launchers and high-caliber weapons to civilian agencies.

*snip*

[Sherman A1]

1. One wonders why they would

Even ask for such a vehicle? The storage, upkeep and fuel would put a dent in the budget.

[ansible]

2. Mariposa county is full of white supremacist dickheads

It's a beautiful place but I've had bad experiences with the cops there. And there's no shortage of people there who proudly fly "Trump 2020" flags all over the place there.

[Sherman A1]

3. Despite the make up of the residents

It still seems like a ding to the budget long term.

[Igel]

8. And it's a question that occurred to me, too.

Turns out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MRAP#U.S._law_enforcement_usage gives some reasons that have been advanced.

One or two I give 5 "mehs" to. GIs returning with IED capability, for example.

Others, like pulling vehicle out of ditches or going through flood waters, I can get behind. During Harvey Harris County used National Guard vehicles to drive through flood waters to rescue people, provide food and water, and work at pre-emptively clearing roads. Sometimes the vehicles cleared were police cars that simply got in too deep.

People often forget details and, having forgotten them, believe the details never existed. The Pulse killings were ended by a military-style vehicle that could simply knock a hole in the wall, providing an unexpected entry point for LEOs and bringing the situation to an end before more lives could be ended.

During an active shooter situation in Dallas a few years ago a gunman had people pinned down. If they got up to run away, he could shoot them. They weren't hostages; they just were stuck in place. A military-style vehicle (APC, if I recall correctly) that was well armored was brought to the scene. It drove between the people cowering for safety and the gunman. The people could either run, shielded by the APC or, for those closest, climb inside and be transported to safety.

In both cases, this severely "escalated the situation" and made the killer feel more threatened but in the end helped end the situation. In the case of The Pulse, it escalated it by introducing police into a police-free zone--the inside of The Pulse, with the killer and both dead and not-yet-dead patrons. Some situations should be escalated.

A lot of people get scared of things they're not familiar with. I've been around hunters and other kinds of gun aficionados enough that I don't find the presence of a gun to be scary. I've known others that did. Often it's the object that scares people. Often they simply don't trust "people like that".

[JHB]

4. Mating display: Strut, swagger, and show off gaudy plumage

It really boils down to that. I can't see how long-term cost considerations had much effect on the decision to fill out the form and get a MachoMobile cheap up front.

[Sherman A1]

5. I understand your point and you are likely correct

But at some point the upkeep needs to be paid and that is a budget item for a likely unnecessary pierce of equipment.

[JHB]

6. Yep. But my guess is that they'll skimp on it until the vehicles become unusuable...

...and think that situation is far enough down the road that it'll be Somebody Else's Problem.

[mitch96]

7. "storage, upkeep and fuel would put a dent in the budget."

WE NEED MORE MONEY IN THE BUDGET TO PROTECT OUR PEOPLE!!!!!! ..
see how it works?
To me it's a scam.. The military unloads the vehicles to local PD's so now they NEED more, and better, and MORE EXPENSIVE latest and greatest widgets... The military industrial complex is more than willing to sell it to them at exorbitant prices.... Shit they probably line up the local PD's to get the vehicles....uffda.
YMMV
m