Quote:
Originally Posted by Utah Bob
When I was a cop I too was alarmed at the escalating militarization of the police. I still am.
Whenever I protested the black uniforms, tactical gear, and other things I was accused of being a dinosaur. I'd point to Sir Robert Peel's 9 Principles of Policing. Then they were convinced I was a dinosaur.
Now I'm a retired dinosaur.
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I understand and appreciate where you are coming from as I felt the same way for many years. A few things changed much of the way we must do business. The North Hollywood shootout sent officers scrambling to a gun store in order to borrow weapons just so they could have a better chance at fighting back. Not long afterwards, a friend of mine was hit with automatic gunfire from an AK-47. He and his partner were still able to take out the suspect with their 92FS’s. Their discipline and shot placement made the difference in that battle. Their car was riddled with bullet holes, one in the headrest too.
A couple of weeks after that incident, another couple of my friends were opened up on with an Uzi. They too won the fight.
None of these weapons were acquired legally. I don’t believe they were even stolen. Many of the local gangs are running the dope trade and have international connections. It’s as easy to have these weapons brought in as it is their large supplies of dope. The days of the “Saturday night special” are over and it’s not terribly uncommon for the average patrol officer to run across these folks.
The cartels are in a lot of my old hunting grounds in order to grow their marijuana. They are posting guards, booby traps, and a lot of them are well armed. Some of the grows are being located within just a couple of miles of the local mall.
We’re also carrying more items on our belts. Since the day when the most common uniform of today began, we’ve added radios, Tasers, all different forms of less lethal weapons, added the vest, and whatever other new things come down. It used to be a revolver, a couple of speed loaders, and a set of handcuffs. Throw in having to cross a seasonal river in a wool uniform and I’m ready for the changes.
What sucks is the wrong reaction. What I mean by this is disarming the citizens and tightening regulations on everything. The criminal never did worry about this. I’ve never met a gang member who purchased a firearm and went through a waiting period. But this doesn’t stop a knee jerk reaction from government.
I’m not for the drones and other invasive crap, but I’d sure appreciate an external vest with a suspension system underneath, some pants and a uniform shirt that aren’t made of wool and cost more than a suit. It really sucks having to roll on the pavement, while trying to take somebody into custody without hurting them in $100.00 pants.
End of rant.