School Police Acquire its own Tank

Tanks at the School Gates?

San Diego school police acquires its own MRAP

Notes From The Police State  -  The nation gaped at the sight of a military-grade Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle trundling through Ferguson, but it turns out that was relatively restrained policing.

Relative, that is, to San Diego, where police will use a similar steel behemoth for the city’s schools.
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The San Diego Unified School District Police Department has acquired its own vehicle, known as a MRAP, and expect it to be operational by October.

“I can totally see people thinking ‘Oh, my God. Are they going to be rolling armored vehicles into our schools and what the hell’s going on?’” Captain Joe Florentino told local media reports The Guardian.

Police intended to use it to rescue children – be it from rampaging gunmen or natural disasters, he said. “When we have an emergency at a school, we’ve got to get in and save kids.”

An entire classroom of 30 to 40 elementary students could be evacuated “during every trip into a danger zone”, said Florentino. “Our idea is: ‘How can we get in and pull out a classroom at a time of kids if there’s an active shooter? If there’s a fire (or) if there’s an earthquake, can we rip down a wall?’ Stuff like that.”

Military hardware for police use was on display at last week’s Urban Shield trade show, an annual gathering in Oakland, but in the wake of this summer’s riots in Ferguson, Missouri, there are signs of backlash.

Veterans Are Reason For Police Militarization

Mississippi Cops are Armoring Up
The acquisition of military-grade armored vehicles from federal surplus by Mississippi law enforcement agencies might appear tone-deaf at a time when the nation is starting an overdue conversation on the militarization of police.
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The two sheriffs in Mississippi who are beefing up their vehicle fleets with armored vehicles say they’re doing so to protect the officers under their command and are saving the taxpayers money by acquiring quality vehicles at little or no cost. They say the vehicles, designed to protect military troops from improvised explosive devices and mines, can shield their officers from even the most high-level threats.
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“I know an MRAP is overkill for public law enforcement, but I know that I don’t have to worry about anything in Rankin County penetrating it,” said Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey, whose department has applied to receive one of the surplus Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles via the Department of Defense 1033 program.
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(Mississippi Watchdog.org)

"A standing army, however necessary it may be at some times, is always dangerous to the liberties of the people. Such power should be watched with a jealous eye."

Sam Adams