And about that armored car, did you know that it is easy for a police department to get an armored vehicle (even one with tracks instead of wheels) from the Federal government for FREE by filling out a one-page form?* (Someone has pointed out you have to fill out a four page form for a college loan.) This is courtesy of winding down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. You see they have all this excess equipment from Iraq and Afghanistan wars. What better than to militarize the police forces. See the following:
"One of the ways police departments have armed themselves in recent years is through the Defense Department's excess property program, known as the 1033 Program. It "permits the Secretary of Defense to transfer, without charge, excess U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) personal property (supplies and equipment) to state and local law enforcement agencies (LEAs)," according to the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center.
The 1033 program has transferred more than $4.3 billion in equipment since its inception in 1997. In 2013 alone it gave nearly half a billion dollars worth of military equipment to local law enforcement agencies, according to the program's website "
* http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/08/14/want-an-armored-personnel-carrier-for-your-police-force-just-fill-out-this-one-page-form/?wpisrc=nl-wnkpm&wpmm=1
** http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/08/14/the-pentagon-gave-nearly-half-a-billion-dollars-of-military-gear-to-local-law-enforcement-last-year/?wpisrc=nl-wnkpm&wpmm=1
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