The events in Ferguson, Missouri have called attention to exactly how well armed local law enforcement agencies are. The New York Times on Friday published an interactive map laying out the amount of military surplus gear in almost every county obtained through a Department of Defense program that was established in the 1990s.
That gear includes assault rifles, planes and helicopters, armored vehicles, body armor, grenade launchers, and night vision goggles. In some counties, the amount of hardware is impressive particularly for how common some of the heavy equipment like armored vehicles or grade launchers have become.
For instance, in Marion County, Indiana (population 928,281), the map says law enforcement has 330 assault rifles, 32 night vision equipment pieces, 30 pieces of body armor, 28 pistols, three grenade launchers and two armored vehicles.
In Coconino County, Arizona (population 136,539) the map lists 68 assault rifles, 48 pieces of body armor, 30 night vision goggles, 16 pistols, and six shotguns.
In Chilton County Alabama (population 43,951), the map lists 52 pistols, 38 assault rifles, 22 night vision goggles, two mine resistant vehicles, one helicopter and one plane.
And in St. Louis County, Missouri (population 1,001,444), where Ferguson is located, the map lists 12 assault rifles, six pistols, three helicopters, and two night vision pieces.
You can see the map here.
Pork to weapons manufacturers.
Militarized Keynesianism according to Krugman.
What do people think the end result of the NRA supported gun fetish is going to be? No one expected that law enforcement would gear up in response?
We live in a gun culture now.
Yeah, Sheriffs in Cook County now can buy and use their OWN automatic weapons on the job. They are all buying AR-15s.
Well, well, my new county has more shit than my old one…a mine resistant vehicle, assault rifles and body armor. Lord save us.
Must have been last summer, 10 o’clock in the evening or later, I heard a very loud swishing rotor noise over the house followed, seconds later by two other, smaller-sounding rotor swishing noises…Needless to say, I freaked out and ran to the deck. We’re on a slope looking south into a valley, not much light pollution and stars were out in full. Suddenly, wham, the noise again as the rotors came over the hilltop up behind the house and into my line of sight as the blinking, running lights of a large black chopper chased by two, smaller black choppers flying over the house and out into the valley before disappearing over the south eastern range of hills. This happened five or six times in a wide changing pattern of rapid flight over my valley and at least two neighboring ones. As it was going on I called local police dispatch, they were unaware of anything official. Nothing on the news but the next morning a deputy called, in a much appreciated return call, to say I witnessed Reserve training…I’m now happy I didn’t witness Reserve/local police tank training.