- cross-posted to:
- texas@lemmy.world
- cross-posted to:
- texas@lemmy.world
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God this fucking masculinity bullshit. It’s not masculine to drive big trucks that are impossible to park and maneuver. It’s masculine to provide for your community, and to care about people without fear of how you’ll be perceived.
Sure, but how’s many miles per gallon do you get on this “community care?”
/s
You mistyped “Gallons per mile”
To adapt an old joke: “If you see a raging dipshit driving like a lunatic in the middle of the road with their giant-ass car, you should contact the nearest police officer immediately. It’s possible they’re behind the wheel.”
Cross posting my post the last time this was posted elsewhere, asking “Why Do They Need This?” The Police Problem sublemmy post
Police don’t but they often want a vehicle for SWAT related reasons, but SWAT trucks costs hundreds of thousands. Meanwhile MRAPs are “free”.
Prosper, Texas is home to 40,000 people. In 2010 their population was under 10k. They have quadrupled in size and are near the DFW area, so it’s not really a surprise they took the 1033 offer for an MRAP. That said most of these decom’d heaps of shit are loathesomely expensive. “High Cost of Free MRAPs” by Strongtowns. Most MRAPs being given out are first and second gen versions. And for those first gens, they got sent to the front lines of the GWOT and got beat to shit while newer ones were tested and approved. These old models they’re “giving out for free” have tire drum parts never used on later versions, transmissions like that of an F650 with half the reliability, and are ticking time bombs of use. Most cities often estimate maintenance costs at $5k per year, until something actually breaks and they have to get a second MRAP to cannibalize to fix the first. (Hint - that’s why you often see them picked up in pairs or more)
That’s before the optics. Petaluma, California has one and the police chief has even said “yeah it kinda has some bad optics sending police around in a former war machine”.
If your city is wanting to pick one up, it’s because someone who has zero experience with them really likes the idea of a big scary diesel monster rolling up on drug houses, and hasn’t actually considered that if they can’t pony up thousands of tax dollars every 6 months to keep the moneymonster fed, the only place it’s gonna drive is into a storage shed.
Edit: I should add that these vehicles are incredibly versatile and aren’t necessarily a bad thing for municipalities. With their ride height, sheer bulk, and high torque engines, Fire and rescue could probably make great use them in several cities. They make fantastic road clearing vehicles in the event of large accidents needing to move to the side of the road, or pushing debris out of the way. Additionally in flood prone areas they make very good rescue vehicles due to their ride height and “crew space” inside. They DO have value outside of terrorizing civilian populations, just that that’s all PDs will use them for.
So it’s a subscription service…
Nah, this is lemmy, dude. No one here is going to read that logical reason why this happened and change their minds.
their post is right in line with how lemmy thinks about these though. The whole thing is about how stupid they are in terms of costs, how the people who get them like it because they look tough, and provides statements from a police chief about how it makes them look bad. The edit discussing some of the possible usefulness of them, are things you never see these being used for. I don’t understand the reason for your comment. Did you read the post?
Multi-purpose? Name one (that isn’t better served by another vehicle).
Low speed chases
Running over protestors? Yeah, maybe a tank would be even better, but I don’t think that counts, also less comfortable to drive.
Announcing their micropenises
This vehicle is ludicrous and Prosper shouldn’t have it.
But a “multipurpose” device is almost never the best thing for any given purpose.
My Leatherman is an amazing tool, but I have much better standalone knives, screwdrivers, pliers, and scissors.
I don’t think you understand the meaning of multi purpose.
“The MRAP that was reutilized through the 1033 program was declared excess by the Defense Department, it was not purchased using taxpayer funds. It was transferred to Prosper Police Department as a conditional loan, and it will be returned to the DOD when Prosper PD no longer requires it,” according to the Defense Logistics Agency.
So the taxpayers did pay for it, just not only local taxpayers. It was taxpayers nationwide through the DoD budget, proving they don’t actually need everything we’re paying for. So the rest of the country is paying for some bumblefuck police department to get an MRAP.
What is the supposed justification for this department “requiring” this MRAP be “loaned” to them? DOD equipment and functionality should NEVER be utilized by police. The two are different groups for a reason. If the police need assistance at that level, they can call in the National Guard for that help. That’s why they exist. There is no reason a local police department ever needs an MRAP.
To be fair, the military never wanted these. They were a political requirement because Congress wanted a war with zero casualties. But they failed at stopping casualties and they failed at being useful military vehicles because they couldn’t drive off road reliably. So we spent hundreds of billions on these things and now we have to replace them with vehicles that actually work off road and protect soldiers.
DOD equipment and functionality should NEVER be utilized by police. The two are different groups for a reason.
“There’s a reason you separate military and the police. One fights the enemies of the state, the other serves and protects the people. When the military becomes both, then the enemies of the state tend to become the people.” - Commander Adama in Battlestar Galactica
A bit idealistic in the police serving and protecting but I agree with the sentiment.
You gotta take the officers’ perspective into account. They need this as a hiding place for when there are active shooter situations at schools.
The on-board generator powers the coffee maker and popcorn machine and keeps the drinks cold. Where else will they safely get snacks and refreshments while waiting out the school shooting?
Truly repugnant
What else are local governments going to buy with the opiate settlement money? Rehabilitative support options?
Don’t forget all the money they get from the civil asset forfeiture auctions.
They bought it? I thought they are surplus from the army?
MRAPs are army surplus. This looks like a recreational vehicle they bought for monster truck rallies.
What the fuck are the cops even gonna do with an MRAP. The vehicle is made for resisting mines and IEDs, most police will never come across that shit.
Using the 2014 Ferguson unrest as an example, they drive around in minority neighborhoods wrecking the streets, sidewalks and parks, whoop and hollar and lob CS-gas grenades willy-nilly so the whole neighborhood can’t breathe.
This says it’s an MRAP and that they didn’t pay anything for it: https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/prosper-police-departments-emergency-vehicle/3560134/
Which is a lie, they are responsible for shipping costs, conversion cost, and maintenance.
They probably spent 150-200k just getting in and set up.
The problem isn’t the police and their fun toys… It’s the rich that is the problem.
All of us, teachers and police alike are fighting over crumbs from the cake that we deserve.
I haven’t heard of too many rich people killing black people on the regular and getting away with it.
The police are the enforcers of the rich. They uphold the system that keeps us down. They are 100% part of the problem.
The police union is one of the strongest in America, most Presidential candidates make promises to them during their election campaign.
…probably because of their roll in riot supression. Rulers don’t want that service faltering on them at an inopportune moment.
…probably because of their roll in riot supression. Rulers don’t want that service faultering on them at an inopportune moment.
Like on January 6?
Who said Jan 6 was faltering?
Suspended with pay. But I was implying the cops didn’t “falter.” Enough of them were in favor of it and some were actually there as part of the insurrection.
I’m not sure what your point is. They failed the elected members of Congress which means they faltered
My point is is that the cops, who you quote replied their role as protest/riot suppression for the government, were on the side of the rioters and insurrectionists on Jan 6.
Fuck the police.
