Towns getting IED-RESISTANT APC's and MRAPs (tanks!)

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Lithium381

Lifer
May 12, 2001
12,458
2
0
Darwin, you've got several points, but it seems they all focus on the money. Money for government entities isn't typically a problem. They'll borrow, print or tax/steal it to finance their dreams. My concern with it is the trend of the citizens facing overwhelming power from the State. See several of the last shootings. . . our representatives say "take away all the guns, they'll kill people".. . . . then a TSA agent gets shot and they want to arm themselves. Every opportunity to get an edge on the monopoly of force. . . it's scary! (no rudeguy i don't wake up in a cold sweat thinking about it!)

when citizens try and protect themselves with force ( during nighttime raids etc ) they try and move it farther! if a citizen responds with force, they spin it to the populace that "the police need more gear, see!". They'd be happy if you'd just comply with their violation of rights. See Larken Rose's "when to shoot a cop" on youtube. I don't agree with everything he says 100% but it's an exersize in free thinking from the indoctrination of the State.
 

werepossum

Elite Member
Jul 10, 2006
29,873
463
126
Ok, I'll play even though you supposedly read the thread.

1. The vehicles are made for warzones with no consideration to the infrastructure because, well because we will probably be bombing the fuck out of the infrastructure while we are their anyway.

They are to heavy to be on any road that any sort of plausible use for them could be surmised. Fucking up the roads costs the city money to fix them and almost always causes the citizens money due to extra vehicle maintenance while the city/town takes its sweet time to fix it (usually due to budget constraints).

2. The vehicle may be free but its maintenance will not be. The more expansive a vehicle is the more it costs to maintain. Wanna gander on how much replacing a single tire on that thing costs? The fuel costs are insanely higher than any other vehicle they could use.

The .gov could give me a friggen F-22 Raptor, which would be like a dream come true for me. Guess what I could do with it? Not a damned thing because even if I could afford to fuel it up I couldn't even begin to afford to maintain the damn thing. The vehicle itself being free to me wouldn't help me much beyond the first couple of uses.

3. There are FAR more reasonable vehicles that can be armored and used as "bullet barriers" if that is what the cops truly thing they need, which I still really don't see a real need for but whatever. Those vehicles are built upon existing common day chassis using existing common day engines (albeit usually bigger V8s to carry the additional weight). Granted they aren't usually landmine resistant or bomb proof but I have yet to hear an argument as to why that quality is required by the police in the US.

I would bet real money that the Feds could sell the vehicles to other orginizations that actually need them, like say an actual military, and make enough money to purchase a brand new armored SUV to give to the local PDs. The local PDs would now have a vehicle that doesn't fuck up the roads AND that they can afford to maintain.

4. They will not last forever. How in the hell does the PD replace this vehicle that is evidently required by the department after the existing ones become unusable? I would wager that a new engine and a new set of tires for that beast costs more than the armored SUV I spoke of earlier, would you be ok with them dropping a few hundred grand of your tax dollars to replace the engine in that beast?

5. Probably could have been included in the above but the cost of maintenance will come out of their budget meaning that is less money they can spend on other things. Would you rather your local PD have one of those or 5 extra cops or being able to slightly bump the existing cops pay or better bullet proof vests or whatever. Of all those things which do you think will make you and the police safest?
Good points. I'll add another - danger to the public. Stopping is not exactly an MRAP priority, and if you get T-boned by that bad boy on its way to bust a pot dealer it's gonna be bad for you. Imagine being struck by a semi made of hardened, toughened plate steel, lots of mass and no give.
 

ch33zw1z

Lifer
Nov 4, 2004
37,734
18,004
146
Good points. I'll add another - danger to the public. Stopping is not exactly an MRAP priority, and if you get T-boned by that bad boy on its way to bust a pot dealer it's gonna be bad for you. Imagine being struck by a semi made of hardened, toughened plate steel, lots of mass and no give.

But, it's for the children.
 

Ackmed

Diamond Member
Oct 1, 2003
8,476
523
126
There are semi-trucks that are heavier on the same roads it would be on. But yes in theory it could mess up a road. And MRAP's have a three level jake brake, as well as air brakes. It stops pretty well actually.

Maintenance could be a money issue. I would wager they aren't going to be used that much, and certainly not how they were designed. And thus won't end up costing money for some time. But when that time does come for a new engine, or tranny it will cost a lot. Depending on how much it would cost, the money could be better spent elsewhere.
 

EagleKeeper

Discussion Club Moderator<br>Elite Member
Staff member
Oct 30, 2000
42,591
5
0
There are semi-trucks that are heavier on the same roads it would be on. But yes in theory it could mess up a road. And MRAP's have a three level jake brake, as well as air brakes. It stops pretty well actually.

Maintenance could be a money issue. I would wager they aren't going to be used that much, and certainly not how they were designed. And thus won't end up costing money for some time. But when that time does come for a new engine, or tranny it will cost a lot. Depending on how much it would cost, the money could be better spent elsewhere.
Just file for another grant from Homeland :thumbsdown:
 

Londo_Jowo

Lifer
Jan 31, 2010
17,303
158
106
londojowo.hypermart.net
Maybe my daughter should try getting a job maintaining one of these MRAPS or a job traveling to the different locations as she was a heavy diesel mechanic in the Army. She started working on the Bradley Fighting Vehicles and then moved on to the MRAPS during her tour in Afghanistan.
 

Jhhnn

IN MEMORIAM
Nov 11, 1999
62,365
14,681
136
Kee-rist. It's just stupidly conceived military equipment that's surplus, now that we're moving out of the business of being occupiers of hostile populations. We don't have as many friendly dictators who want it to oppress their own people, so it's given away at home, mostly to turn to rust after being dragged out occasionally for SWAT exercises. Everybody gets a little chubby & goes home happy. It's crap equipment & a political boondoggle from the get-go.

The moral of the story is that if we're not willing to take the necessary casualties to effectively occupy a country, we shouldn't try it in the first place.