As former military we do shit like this for fun. Nothing like seeing an LMTV pull up in the Wendy’s drive through. Guess having any kind of fun means I live in a shithole apparently
No I just don’t live in a fantasy land where my cops run or ride a bicycle everywhere. If there’s no even playing field we have guys in bomb suits robbing banks in bulletproof suits that can take 100s of bullets no issue or guys building homemade tanks that the cops can’t stop. Not even mentioning they get the military grade shit for cheap asf
They get the vehicles for free a lot of the time, if not heavily reduced prices.
If there's ever an active shooter situation or a terrorist attack, they will certainly come in handy. It's a case of "I'd rather have it and not need it".
It prevents waste and equips our police better for pennies on the dollar. You're against it for some weird moral reason, not for any practical reasons, given the fact that you've outright ignored numerous arguments to the contrary.
Wait…you think sheriffs departments get these vehicles for leisure?
Yeah you don’t even know what you’re saying anymore lol. I guarantee you’re the same person who would throw “the department is incompetent” around when they dont have equipment to use.
I am not ignoring it! My whole point is that the fed gets it from my taxes and I would rather recover the cost 700k and then have local police buy a patrol car for 50k
Do you understand the difference 700-50 is what we are fucking losing?
Till you find out police have to deal with active shooters and most common rounds will sail right through a cruiser. why spend millions retrofitting and up-armoring cruisers when you can simply just buy a military surplus vehicle for the fraction of the cost?
Also both military and police use them, they aren’t just exclusively military as many SWAT and tactical teams use them as well. Hell a few different departments around me here in Michigan have at least one.
Cops don't deal with as many active shooters as you claim they do. And if you and they worry about active shooters that much, then why don't you and they vote for people that want to make it harder to own guns? Not that I agree with that myself.
I mean we pretty much give them to them. Police typically get all their “big scary military vehicles” from our surplus. It’s usually auctioned off for super cheap so it’s more our fault police have some armored vehicles, not all of them though
Considering their dress, I'm going to assume the thought process was "well, we have this thing and we're supposed to make sure it still works every now and then, wanna take it for a spin for some coffee? See the looks on the civvies faces when we pull up?"
I think the local PD that has one was explicitly told to run it up to temp once a month after they left it parked too long during COVID and that upped the maintenance bill.
Ours gets used for the kids touch a truck events and other community things about 3x as it gets used as a bullet barricade, but you have to run it from time to time to keep things solid and it does come in damn handy to just park across the front of a armed barricaded suspect and wait for them to get bored or run out of ammo. 10/10 worth the diesel.
Where else do you expect them to park the truck anyways? And what are they supposed to do with this stuff that tax payers paid for, just let it sit around collecting dust?
Give me a break, the cops earned themselves coffee at Starbucks for all the bullshit they have to put up with
Oh yeah, i mean a bearcat’s really just a big armored van, its not a MRAP or military vehicle by any means. I can understand getting upset when the cops are driving the big old Cougars, but this thing is still a civilian vehicle.
OOP is probably from a Western European country where the cops carry assault rifles and SMGs while on a beat patrol and/or has military patrolling the streets in a full combat load.
There’s not a person alive who wouldn’t jump at the chance to take what is essentially a tank out for a joyride. These miserable people are just jealous.
I mean considering what private citizens are armed with I kinda get it. That level of protection would almost be needed. I find it more odd in European countries that basically disarm their citizens, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Greece, Lattvia and the Czech Republic all use them.
Pure intimidation tactics. Why should my tax dollars go towards cops getting shit they don't need while there's starving kids that could use the money instead?
Never would I thought it would side with Tea and Crumpets over here against a fellow Yee-haw, but yeah we don't need them often, but when we do we really REALLY need them.
Do you also get annoyed when you see a fire truck at the grocery store? They are on duty and probably on call if they were to get a call while at Starbucks and they DIDNT have the bearcat, then that would prolong respond times. I’ll be honest and say this is first time I’ve seen a SWAT team do this but fire departments do this all the time for that exact reason
Big difference is people like firemen because they actually do good for the community. Many cops are dirty and love harassing members of their communities.
So there suppose to drive back to the pd switch to a civilian car then go back to the coffee shop? Also what if the coffee shop was on the way back etc less about a dollar in gas doesnt seem like an issue to me
Because police driving civilian vehicles like explorers and crown vics shows that they are also civilians and increases community trust. Something that is important to policing. Riding around in military vehicles creates an us vs them mentality that is antithetical to community policing.
Also that shit is expensive to use and maintain. It’s not a good use of taxpayer dollars.
The smallish city I live in bought something similar for quite a bit of money. They did not need it, rarely use it, and when they do it's on nonsense. I live in Canada. So it's not a US specific thing.
Military tactics and technology have broad applications outside of military contexts.
The Internet, for example, started as a military project. So did GPS.
On a tactical level, why exactly should cops not use and adapt effective tactics that are already paid for by taxpayer money? SWAT teams aren't calling on artillery to level a house they want to raid.
I've seen people complain about 'militarization' when it was just cops standing around in milsurp uniforms to deter violence.
I am gonna side on their side with this one. Police using MRAPs, especially for driving to the coffee shop, shows how the US police are being militarized. This should concern you.
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84K likes and two comments lol
Totally legit and natural engagement.
Cops aren’t allowed coffee in…not shithole countries?
Yes, in these countries only high-ranking officials or members of the elite go to coffee shops.
Especially the exotic Starbucks.
As former military we do shit like this for fun. Nothing like seeing an LMTV pull up in the Wendy’s drive through. Guess having any kind of fun means I live in a shithole apparently
"sorry sir the ice cream machine is broken" said the mcdonalds cashier to the M1 Abrams
https://i.redd.it/fernz0zcv28g1.gif
Plot twist when it actually open fired lmao
I wish it was covered by the sheriffs’ salary and not my taxes
They're surplus vehicles that were going to be scrapped regardless that the agencies get for extremely cheap.
This is actively saving you money.
Is it kind of like what's going on in Ukraine? We send over older equipment we would have spent millions on mothballing for pennies on the dollar?
Pretty much, but in the case of Bearcats they're usually going to be scrapped.
Cheap is not free and gas costs money. I rather be the sheriff’s pocket, this is as corrupt as a banana republic
They get vehicles like this through the federal 1033 program which sometimes even gives the vehicles away free to sheriff’s departments.
Sometimes they’re purchased for significantly cheaper than vehicles they traditionally equip their fleets with.
“I want sheriffs to purchase all equipment out of their own salary” is just completely nonsense lmao
Yes, I want the police to pay for their own “fun” vehicles
If their jurisdiction is so bad they have to pretend they are in Iraq, maybe they are doing a piss poor job
Jesus what a moron
So for you being fiscally conservative is being a moron
And that’s why the economy is as it is, conservatives are not responsible anymore
No I just don’t live in a fantasy land where my cops run or ride a bicycle everywhere. If there’s no even playing field we have guys in bomb suits robbing banks in bulletproof suits that can take 100s of bullets no issue or guys building homemade tanks that the cops can’t stop. Not even mentioning they get the military grade shit for cheap asf
A regular patrol car has been working very well
Are you saying the USA is a war zone? Where the fuck do you live, Moscow?
They get the vehicles for free a lot of the time, if not heavily reduced prices.
If there's ever an active shooter situation or a terrorist attack, they will certainly come in handy. It's a case of "I'd rather have it and not need it".
It prevents waste and equips our police better for pennies on the dollar. You're against it for some weird moral reason, not for any practical reasons, given the fact that you've outright ignored numerous arguments to the contrary.
Wait…you think sheriffs departments get these vehicles for leisure?
Yeah you don’t even know what you’re saying anymore lol. I guarantee you’re the same person who would throw “the department is incompetent” around when they dont have equipment to use.
Sure, that Starbucks looks dangerous
Did you know it's good for vehicles to run them once in a while and not leave them sitting? Ffs, are you 14?
you would rather the SO buys another charger?
I rather them not wasting my money but hey it seems it’s anti American to want your tax money properly spent
What a joke
so they should just not have cars? what qualifies as waste?
He doesn’t know
Anything that would be a must in Iraq
Unless the police is saying the rest of us are placing bomb devices around
Why do you keep ignoring that they get those for basically nothing from the feds?
I am not ignoring it! My whole point is that the fed gets it from my taxes and I would rather recover the cost 700k and then have local police buy a patrol car for 50k
Do you understand the difference 700-50 is what we are fucking losing?
Wasteful GOP as usual
Still costing tax payers money. "Saving you money" lol
Big difference being the first 3 words in your post. Cars like these are built for military reasons. No need for a cop to have one.
Till you find out police have to deal with active shooters and most common rounds will sail right through a cruiser. why spend millions retrofitting and up-armoring cruisers when you can simply just buy a military surplus vehicle for the fraction of the cost?
Also both military and police use them, they aren’t just exclusively military as many SWAT and tactical teams use them as well. Hell a few different departments around me here in Michigan have at least one.
Cops don't deal with as many active shooters as you claim they do. And if you and they worry about active shooters that much, then why don't you and they vote for people that want to make it harder to own guns? Not that I agree with that myself.
How many did I claim they deal with? Nice strawman lol
And for your second question, Because that’s a violation of the constitution, and the sheriff’s department owning a big truck is not.
Falling back on calling arguments "strawman" is the sign of someone that doesn't have a real reply.
No, it’s a sign of you using a strawman, arguing against something that was never said. Also ironic that that you didn’t answer the question lmao
Again, where did I say how many active shooters they deal with?
Nice strawman calling my comment a strawman.
It’s not a strawman because it’s something you actually said, unlike what you’re saying I said when I clearly didn’t.
You know you could just say you don’t know what the word means lol
Well he asked ChatGPT and it said so because he made it change the definition after he told it that there was no way he was using a straw man
“I have no argument so I’m going to just saying nonsense” also works fam
Nice strawman lol
I mean we pretty much give them to them. Police typically get all their “big scary military vehicles” from our surplus. It’s usually auctioned off for super cheap so it’s more our fault police have some armored vehicles, not all of them though
99.9% chance they’re taking the bearcat to a community engagement event. Kids love looking at specialized vehicles.
Weird Twiter let 63% of its account be Russian and Chinese bots and would you look at that it became anti American.
Try looking Ukrainian pop stars or Taiwanese stuff
Lieutenant Cake can do what she wants
Great minds think alike 😭
The thicc blue line
How can you commit crime when the line is so thicc
Considering their dress, I'm going to assume the thought process was "well, we have this thing and we're supposed to make sure it still works every now and then, wanna take it for a spin for some coffee? See the looks on the civvies faces when we pull up?"
I think the local PD that has one was explicitly told to run it up to temp once a month after they left it parked too long during COVID and that upped the maintenance bill.
Ours gets used for the kids touch a truck events and other community things about 3x as it gets used as a bullet barricade, but you have to run it from time to time to keep things solid and it does come in damn handy to just park across the front of a armed barricaded suspect and wait for them to get bored or run out of ammo. 10/10 worth the diesel.
I don't see any coffee, but I do see some cake
Where else do you expect them to park the truck anyways? And what are they supposed to do with this stuff that tax payers paid for, just let it sit around collecting dust?
Give me a break, the cops earned themselves coffee at Starbucks for all the bullshit they have to put up with
A lot of people think that cops shouldn't get "tactical" vehicles, especially milsurp, because it makes them think like they're soldiers.
Even though cops need armored trucks anyway. Milsurp is just cheaper. And, apparently, they're good for emergency rescue, like floods.
I feel like these folks are projecting their own fears onto cops.
Oh yeah, i mean a bearcat’s really just a big armored van, its not a MRAP or military vehicle by any means. I can understand getting upset when the cops are driving the big old Cougars, but this thing is still a civilian vehicle.
IDK man, im pretty sure giving the LAPD a surplus Davy Crockett would work just fine.
I think Philly PD has lost their right to that, or any explosive munition
It's almost never the sheriff driving anything with sheriff written on it, it's usually a deputy
"Comrade [name]"
https://preview.redd.it/7e9ghw11h58g1.jpeg?width=680&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=183230f9e5cd2ffb9848cbb8f1ee6e5484e78075
He’s just pissed he can’t afford either items mentioned in the original tweet.
If I was a cop with the authority to drive that, you bet your ass I'd be driving it on a coffee run.
OOP is probably from a Western European country where the cops carry assault rifles and SMGs while on a beat patrol and/or has military patrolling the streets in a full combat load.
There’s not a person alive who wouldn’t jump at the chance to take what is essentially a tank out for a joyride. These miserable people are just jealous.
Yeah but a cop using one costs tax payer money.
You do know you need to drive vehicles around every few weeks or stuff will start to break, right?
Not using it costs more. If it’s not taken out periodically for maintenance runs, it’s completely useless when it’s needed.
I mean considering what private citizens are armed with I kinda get it. That level of protection would almost be needed. I find it more odd in European countries that basically disarm their citizens, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Greece, Lattvia and the Czech Republic all use them.
Some of you guys take the bait way too easily, you're not a dog
lol people need their coffee
Pure intimidation tactics. Why should my tax dollars go towards cops getting shit they don't need while there's starving kids that could use the money instead?
...You think cops don't need armored trucks? Because they've come in handy a few times.
Also, things like this are also good for emergency rescues. Like floods.
Never would I thought it would side with Tea and Crumpets over here against a fellow Yee-haw, but yeah we don't need them often, but when we do we really REALLY need them.
Shithole country but individual still chooses to live in it.
Seems inefficient and a waste of taxpayer resources. Also, police are civilians and shouldn’t be operating in military vehicles when unnecessary.
Do you also get annoyed when you see a fire truck at the grocery store? They are on duty and probably on call if they were to get a call while at Starbucks and they DIDNT have the bearcat, then that would prolong respond times. I’ll be honest and say this is first time I’ve seen a SWAT team do this but fire departments do this all the time for that exact reason
Thats a great point they cant just leave there vehicle behind in case they get a call
Big difference is people like firemen because they actually do good for the community. Many cops are dirty and love harassing members of their communities.
The fire department doesn’t rely on community support or have an image problem as much as the police.
I also can’t remember anyone making songs called fuck the fire department.
https://youtu.be/7JkrJUAg8aI?si=Ub2AAdKoJrMooHDn
Iol this always pops up in my head whenever someone says that
I stand corrected.
If they were operating this while off job fuck them but if they were operating it while on a short break or in service (which they were) its fine
Why would they ever need an MRAP in any non emergency situation.
Getting coffee isn’t an emergency.
It’s not a good look for civilians policing civilians. This isn’t the West Bank.
I dont think BearCats are mine resistant.
So there suppose to drive back to the pd switch to a civilian car then go back to the coffee shop? Also what if the coffee shop was on the way back etc less about a dollar in gas doesnt seem like an issue to me
Yes.
Police are civilians and shouldn’t be operating military vehicles in non emergency situations.
Edit: do you think the local swat team was casually getting coffee after a high intensity counter terrorist hostage situation?
Militarized police is not a good thing. It’s unamerican.
Its the same as a police officer driving a police car through McDonalds its not a big deal
No it’s not.
Marines weren’t driving crown Vic’s through Tikrit.
What does that have to do with this?
Because police driving civilian vehicles like explorers and crown vics shows that they are also civilians and increases community trust. Something that is important to policing. Riding around in military vehicles creates an us vs them mentality that is antithetical to community policing.
Also that shit is expensive to use and maintain. It’s not a good use of taxpayer dollars.
Bro take a break. Your knees must be sore by now.
Emergency ends, situation is contained, grab a coffee on way back to station, the end.
Send me a link to the emergency that requires a mine resistant ambush protected military vehicle that ended.
Didn’t you hear? Texas is the new Iraq!
Wait til you find out cops in Humvees ate at McDonald’s.
Do you think America is that dangerous that the police need armored vehicles?
Are you going to start calling schools shooting ranges next?
Every country has bearcats look at the riots in France hes pointing out its dumb to criticize an officer for this
Pretty calm riot we have there.
The militarization of civilian police forces is bad and you’re not going to change my mind.
I remember years ago when people were freaking out over the Jade Helm nothing burger but are now cheering on soldiers in our streets.
Maybe I’m just one of the few 3rd amendment activists left.
Bro same. I remember when being cautious of cops was a bipartisan thing. But then the blm movement happened and both sides moved to opposing ends.
Not what I said. But nice form in goalpost shifting.
So then why would cops need humvees and mraps?
Wouldnt a crown Vic or an explorer do the job?
[deleted]
It’s a MRAP.
It was probably acquired through the pentagon’s 1033 program which gifted surplus military equipment to police departments.
The Militarization of Police in America is somewhat concerning
The smallish city I live in bought something similar for quite a bit of money. They did not need it, rarely use it, and when they do it's on nonsense. I live in Canada. So it's not a US specific thing.
Plenty of cops around the world have armored trucks. That doesn't make 'em "militarized".
[deleted]
“The militarization of police (paramilitarization of police in some media) is the use of military equipment and tactics by law enforcement officers”
Is this militarization? I mean, its a BearCat, not a IFV or a tank. This has virtually no offensive capability. It's just a really beefy truck.
Milsurp IFVs and tanks are almost always disarmed, as far as I know.
Military tactics and technology have broad applications outside of military contexts.
The Internet, for example, started as a military project. So did GPS.
On a tactical level, why exactly should cops not use and adapt effective tactics that are already paid for by taxpayer money? SWAT teams aren't calling on artillery to level a house they want to raid.
I've seen people complain about 'militarization' when it was just cops standing around in milsurp uniforms to deter violence.
I am gonna side on their side with this one. Police using MRAPs, especially for driving to the coffee shop, shows how the US police are being militarized. This should concern you.