Why Kansas City Lost Control of Their Police

a reply to: ketsuko

Those places are very rare exceptions, I live in suburbia, we don't need military hardware just to chub up some wannabe Delta Force buffoon.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

That's why they don't need to be part of the regular kit. I think maybe you need your special units to train with it enough to know how it's used, and then it needs to be kept somewhere other than with the police but where it can be accessed on the rare occasions it's warranted - guard armories or something.

Maybe you need to look at joint police/guard units and unit training.

a reply to: ketsuko

Nah, I don't even want to waste money training them to use military hardware.

What I'm seeing from some of these reforms is that they need to get back to old school style policing; walking, relating and making their presence know personally in certain neighborhoods.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

I think most of them should, but you already have SWAT units and those would be the types who should learn the hard stuff.

I think it wouldn't be a bad thing to have units assigned to each neighborhood with a designated neighborhood liaison whose job it is to check in and become personally known to the community leaders, teachers/principals, ministers/imams/rabbis, business owners, etc., as much as possible. If one is not enough, then a small coordinated team to work that beat and be present.

originally posted by: ketsuko
I think most of them should, but you already have SWAT units and those would be the types who should learn the hard stuff.

Our town doesn't have a SWAT unit and we don't need one, no town does. Let the Sheriff do thier job, we don't need municipal and county overlap.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

I'm not saying every town does. Most smaller towns never will, but there are cases where you do. You cannot deny it.

originally posted by: ketsuko
I'm not saying every town does. Most smaller towns never will, but there are cases where you do. You cannot deny it.

I will deny it. Call the Sherriff or State Police, that's why they're there.

This is part of the same reason we waste money on things like State and Federal level agencies with identical purviews. You don't need a local SWAT when you have a county/state one. Stop wasting people's money on duplicate services.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

I wasn't arguing over which level needed that SWAT only that the SWAT, whoever's it is, should be training with the hard level equipment and have access to it.

originally posted by: ketsuko
I wasn't arguing over which level needed that SWAT only that the SWAT, whoever's it is, should be training with the hard level equipment and have access to it.

I don't have a huge problem with that as long as it's confined to the Sherriff or State Police, no local police forces need that equipment.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

originally posted by: ketsuko
I'm not saying every town does. Most smaller towns never will, but there are cases where you do. You cannot deny it.

I will deny it. Call the Sherriff or State Police, that's why they're there.

This is part of the same reason we waste money on things like State and Federal level agencies with identical purviews. You don't need a local SWAT when you have a county/state one. Stop wasting people's money on duplicate services.

Why include the State Police? The Sheriff's are elected at the county level ... and they already answer to the State Governor's office (when they're not answering to the citizenry).

And ... screw the Feds. I can't recall a Constitutional provision that even begins their authorization.

Fire them all (except the Sheriffs) ... and stop taxing us for their personnel and operational costs. I've got guns ... and if someone needs to be dealt with, I'll report to the Sheriff afterwards ... if I don't decide to SSS and not bother him.

It would be nice to see the Police State evaporate from every level.

a reply to: Snarl

Because in New Jersey you can opt to contract the State Police to patrol your town instead of a local police force.