S.C. Sheriff's Department Armored Vehicle with Belt-Fed Machine Gun

S.C. Sheriff's Department Armored Vehicle with Belt-Fed Machine Gun

www.policemag.com

The Richland County (S.C.) Sheriff's Department has acquired an armored personnel carrier complete with a turret-mounted .50-caliber belt-fed machine gun for its Special Response Team.

Sheriff Leon Lott told the Columbia State newspaper that he hoped the vehicle, named "The Peacemaker," would let the bad guys know that his officers are serious.

"We don't look at this as a killing machine," Lott told the paper. "It's going to keep the peace.

(visit the link for the full news article)


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I can almost hear the coming of the US "police state" clanking down the road right know!

This is just a little too much "military" and not enough "law enforcement" for me.



Now the police feel justified in having .50 caliber machine guns to use on citizens

Police work is usually done in close proximities and usually they are after one or two people together who broke a law. That is not the setting that a .50 caliber belt fed machine gun was designed to be used for.

If they fire that thing, that bullet is going through houses, it might go through three houses or more. This is not a gun that should be in their armory.

www.policemag.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 9/3/2008 by Keyhole]

I truly do not know what to say. I'd jokingly point out that criminals will just fortify their homes and the police would then have to buy a tank for their "Special" Response Team, but it would probably just come true anyway.

Star and Flag, if this isn't proof enough of the growing fascist police-state I don't know what is.

You know, I sort of have to agree with you guys. Not that I'm worried about some fascist police state, but that just doesn't seem like a good purchase.

For that M2, ammo, maintenance, etc, how much body armor could they have bought for their officers? Patrol cars? Computers? Extra training?

Oh, and your gonna love this quote from the sheriff who bought the vehicle!

South Carolina sheriff buys tank to conduct raids

The Richland County, South Carolina Sheriff's Department (that's them above) just obtained an armored personnel carrier, complete with a belt-fed, .50-cal turreted machine gun. Sheriff Leon Lott has charmingly named the vehicle "The Peacemaker," and insists that using a caliber of ammunition that even the U.S. military is reluctant to use against human targets (it's generally reserved for use against armored vehicles) will "save lives."

It's probably going kill more people than it is going to save.

Talk about overkill. This is pretty damned ridiculous.
There is no reason for ANY Special Ops within local, state or federal law enforcement to have a 50cal on an APC.
If they run into something that requires that much firepower then they need to get the National Guard in!

I used to work for a government contractor that made armor and did armor upgrades and designs. We had many occasion were various Sheriff's departments and SWAT teams had received 2nd hand Army and USMC hmmwv's and APC's. They couldn't even request any weaponry be kept on the vehicles, let alone get anything installed on it. It wasn't going to happen, wasn't going to be approved and that was the way it was for them. They would have IR gear and massive spotlights mounted in place on the turrets in lieu of weaponry, as there was no weaponry allowed. This was the policy for 20+ SWAT and Sheriff departments across California. It just wasn't going to happen. This was less than 5 years ago.
Maybe it is a completely different world in S.C. ?
I know Southern California can be pretty damned violent, but the best we can do is APC's with ramming devices, automatic weapons and armed robots. Who the hell needs a 50cal for law enforcement in the USA?!?!

reply to post by Keyhole


Yeah I saw the quote, he probably believes in the intimidation factor of it.

I bet he thinks he won't need to bother negotiating with hostage takers anymore.

well hell, if cops can have a .50 caliber, then we should be allowed m-16's, silencers, scopes and sniper rifles; in respect to the intent of the right to bear arms.

reply to post by eNumbra


They were likely given that equipment surplus or very cheap. The APC is old Vietnam era equipment as is likely the 50 cal.

The problem is with those old APCs is they are easy to defeat if you know how and will provide officers with a false sense of security against a real threat. The 50 cal machine gun though has no place on a police vehicle in my opinion. That is strictly a battle field weapon. They are likely to frighten the neighborhood with them. I guess if intimidating the population is the real reason for them then I am sure it will be mission accomplished.

[edit on 9/3/2008 by UFOTECH]

Did most of those guys have boners in that photo? Don't give one of those 50 cal suckers to the NYPD. The fifty bullets they pumped into Amadou Diallo and Sean Bell would be nothing. I can see the headline now, "Unarmed man reaching for twix bar shot 427 times - Cops claim they saw a gun"

ColoradoJens

Well, the biggest problem I can see is, they spent all this money and got this spankin'-new apc, now they're gonna be itching to use it at the first appropriate (or likely inappropriate) situation.

I feel sorry for the people of Richland County.

Originally posted by namehere
well hell, if cops can have a .50 caliber, then we should be allowed m-16's, silencers, scopes and sniper rifles; in respect to the intent of the right to bear arms.

We already are allowed these things in most states/cities. Just need to pay a 200 dollar tax on each thing.

(regarding silencers (which can be home made), select fire weapons)

[edit on 3-9-2008 by angrysniper]

Originally posted by UFOTECH
The problem is with those old APCs is they are easy to defeat if you know how and will provide officers with a false sense of security against a real threat.

Well, the cops are using them for protection against RPGs, but riots and people armed with bottles and bricks. Small arm fire, too.

Originally posted by jerico65

Well, the cops are using them for protection against RPGs, but riots and people armed with bottles and bricks. Small arm fire, too.

According to one article, they are going to be using it during raids!

South Carolina Sheriff Buys Tank to Conduct Raids

Wow, I was hoping this thread would generate more interest from the cops are coming to get us crowd. I'd like to make a point that may not be properly thought out entirely but it just came to me. I have often wondered about certain police tactics used when it comes to hostage/unknown situations aka Columbine. Two douchbags taking their time walking around killing people in a highschool while an army waits for hours outside...I realize reality but what if just one officer had entered early on, unsure of the situation (as is often the case when alone) and had eventually taken out the duo? How many lives would have been protected and saved? I am not asking anyone to be suicidal but was anyone else pissed at the response time? This 50 cal would have sat outside with the rest of the wanna be army guys while two 150 pound weaklings did their bidding. Seriously though, when is enough enough and what are the city/county/state regulations concerning the purchase? Will my local, hilariously local cops get drones? Actually, I think that has already happend. What is going on?

ColoradoJens

Darned, now Sheriff Joe Arpaio is going to want a fifty caliber for is APC as well.

Law Enforcement agencies have a smörgåsbord of military weapons and vehicles that they can get from the DOD if they ask nicely. I do not know why more of them do not avail themselves of this service.

Next purchase COBRA GUNSHIPS!!!

How about looking at the potential risks associated with the military posts in SC?

I am not saying that the military would attack, but if the wrong people stole stuff you may very well need a .50 cal.


I promise though that that retarded m-113 will not be of much use for anything but being loud and look square.

It would be more appropriate if it were not a belt-fed but a sans-a-belt fed 50 cal.

ColoradoJens

reply to post by jerico65


An RPG will go through this track vehicle like a hot knife through butter. That is a surplus M-113A3 Vietnam era APC repainted black. Intimidating looking and effective for most rifle and pistol calibers but designed mostly to stop shrapnel from Viet-Cong mortar attacks which was killing a lot of grunts in those days.

The Cong destroyed a lot of them with their Chinese knock off RPGs during the conflict. They are most vulnerable on the driver side just behind the driver compartment or if you take out a track which is weakest on the outside link pins. Hit them in a link pin and they are rolling off of their track on one side and can only spin in a circle. Place an RPG round just above the track shroud behind the driver for the weakest spot.

From above they are very vulnerable to a cheap fuel bomb if they are not buttoned up tightly. If there is a gunner on the 50 you can be sure it is not buttoned up and the gunner has little protection so he is vulnerable and easy to sight in on. An AP+incendiary 50 cal will cut right through it as well and they are available surplus.

Like I said it will provide police with a false sense of security from a real threat and is only good for intimidating the defenseless or lightly armed and untrained. I trained in these decades ago and I am well aware of their vulnerabilities as it is taught to all drivers and armored infantry unit personnel during our training.