US mass shootings megathread

[11B4V]

Also, have law agencies been militarized enough yet?

Depends

[Syt]

On?

[Tonitrus]

I don't think it is a problem that the FBI has dudes ready to be equipped with tactical gear for certain cases.  Obviously they're not rolling around in that gear except in cases like the shooting in El Paso.

That doesn't mean they should look nearly identical (they're using the same camo, and from other pics I've seen, they pretty much use the same set up of patches/insignia, etc) to the military, such that only a trained eye can easily distinguish them.

[Threviel]

What's the point of camouflaging the armoured car? Scared of aerial attacks?

[11B4V]

On?

If your meaning SWAT,SRT, HRT that is pictured or regular patrol officers. Your pic is not of regular patrol officers.

[grumbler]

What's the point of camouflaging the armoured car? Scared of aerial attacks?

Where in that picture is a camouflaged armoured car?  It's so well-camouflaged as to appear to be invisible (unless it's camouflaged as a fire truck).

[grumbler]

That doesn't mean they should look nearly identical (they're using the same camo, and from other pics I've seen, they pretty much use the same set up of patches/insignia, etc) to the military, such that only a trained eye can easily distinguish them.

Certainly there are cost advantages to not repainting vehicles and just using military uniforms and gear, but there are also certainly perception-related disadvantages.

[schaksen]

What's the point of camouflaging the armoured car? Scared of aerial attacks?

Where in that picture is a camouflaged armoured car?  It's so well-camouflaged as to appear to be invisible (unless it's camouflaged as a fire truck).

It's olive, that does not normally imply police vehicle.

[The Minsky Moment]

It says FBI so clearly not a police vehicle nor intended to be.

Not sure what an FBI vehicle is supposed to look like. Black, I guess?

[grumbler]

What's the point of camouflaging the armoured car? Scared of aerial attacks?

Where in that picture is a camouflaged armoured car?  It's so well-camouflaged as to appear to be invisible (unless it's camouflaged as a fire truck).

It's olive, that does not normally imply police vehicle.

That's not a normal police vehicle, so I don't know why you assume that "normally" applies to it. 

Olive drab isn't camouflage and the Bearcat isn't an "armoured car."

Here's the same vehicle in Ottawa PD colors:


Here's an Ottawa PD police car:


Do they look the same color to you?

Honestly, the least dubious thing in that picture is the color of the modern Bearcats.

[Threviel]

What's the point of camouflaging the armoured car? Scared of aerial attacks?

Where in that picture is a camouflaged armoured car?  It's so well-camouflaged as to appear to be invisible (unless it's camouflaged as a fire truck).

Pardon my uninformed rambling. What is the point of camouflaging police? And what is the point of having olive coloured militarisch vehicles? To me it looks like a bunch of half-wits playing army, and that is most definitely not what I want police forces to do. 

I get SWAT, there is a point of heavily armed police, but SWAT don't normally look like they are playing army.

[Tonitrus]

What's the point of camouflaging the armoured car? Scared of aerial attacks?

Where in that picture is a camouflaged armoured car?  It's so well-camouflaged as to appear to be invisible (unless it's camouflaged as a fire truck).

Pardon my uninformed rambling. What is the point of camouflaging police? And what is the point of having olive coloured militarisch vehicles? To me it looks like a bunch of half-wits playing army, and that is most definitely not what I want police forces to do. 

I get SWAT, there is a point of heavily armed police, but SWAT don't normally look like they are playing army.

There isn't really a point.

To be fair, a fair amount of SWAT teams had tactical gear before, but were content to have it painted solid/blue black.  But there appears to be a  trend, probably since 9/11 or shortly after (or more after the Iraq war, really) for police to just use the stock military gear.  I'm sure it is a fair amount of dudes "playing army", as well as a large amount of dudes who are ex-military (Iraq again is a perfect example...a large share of US cops are vets, so they're used to this gear) and have kept that mentality into police work.  That pick of the FBI dudes?  Take off the FBI logos and that could be 99% identical to a pic of US special forces in Afghanistan.

This is why there is concern about militarizing police.  You get a lot of ex-Iraqi occupation vets who are now in/run police forces, likely going back to old habits.  It's not good for a police force to have an occupation mentality when dealing with their fellow citizens, after all.

As for the vehicles...likely free military surplus.

[merithyn]

So, other than Benedict Arnold's post,  nothing in the latest shooting? Just whether the police are too militarized?

Welcome to America, where radicalized white men shooting a couple dozen people is so mainstream as to be ignored anymore.

Not blaming you guys. Just sad at that reality.

[Threviel]

Reading up on it apparently I'm the half-wit and that crap is what heavily armed police looks like.

[Syt]

So, other than Benedict Arnold's post,  nothing in the latest shooting? Just whether the police are too militarized?

Welcome to America, where radicalized white men shooting a couple dozen people is so mainstream as to be ignored anymore.

Not blaming you guys. Just sad at that reality.

Sadly, these events seem to barely raise eyebrows anymore. They're on the news one day, gone the next. I feel people may have become dangerously numb since the school shootings.