Oh yeah, and always sitting under the bridge so as to be in the shadow and shade during the day.
Oh yeah, and always sitting under the bridge so as to be in the shadow and shade during the day.
There's a red one that has been tailgating people in my area. I ranted about it my first day here. Gets on their back, and rides until over 60(main highway is 55 here) then lights come on. If people changed lanes, just jumped to the next car in line.
I'm still very curious(i know, dhs money) and concerned with the camo APC, and the berkeleying tank at the state barracks. Yes, a full on tank, but I've not seen it leave the lot in the 2 years it's been there. The apc does do travel, that's a fun sight to see in the rear view.
I sit in the shade as much as possible. Wearing 30 lbs of "Intimidating gear" is hot especially in Florida. On top of that it makes it easier to see the laptop so I can write the endless reports that go along with modern policing.
My agencies vehicles are very clearly marked, most have light bars that are clear. The traffic units drive marked slick top cars.
I hate to break it to you guys but most of the officers I know with the exception of traffic guys don't really enjoy writing tickets. I wrote 20 last year and all were from crashes and or stops where I needed to write one to justify PC for an arrest.
I am far from an angel as my 17 personal speeding tickets can attest but you know what I was violating the law every time I got one. In fact I was let off with warnings twice as often as I was cited.
I disagree with agencies using traffic as a revenue stream, but traffic laws still need to be enforced and if you are into cars getting a ticket every once in awhile comes with the territory.
I still like the Michigan State troopers - bright blue and they still run the giant gumball on top like it should be. I have yet to figure out the "stop" sign on the hood - does it rotate? I really don't want to find out.
In reply to revrico:
As far as the "tank" is concerned they have a place. I am a hostage negotiator for my agency and part of my job is riding in said "useless tank". I very much appreciate it's armor plating as does my wife and children. Next time I get called out I will take some pictures of the bullet marks on ours for you...
Ours is actually called a Bear and has wheels not tracks.
In reply to pimpm3:
Interesting bit there about hostage negotiation for the tanks, in my home county, they begged for a tank to combat drugs and terrorism. I E36 M3 you not that was their request to need an mrap. The county is madison, ms and has no part of the drug trade nor are there any terrorist training camps there. Oh dont forget the dozen or so grenade launchers they have too. Thanks uncle same for all your used military E36 M3 to outfit our police in said military gear. Hotage negotiation i can sort of see, terrorist deterrent...ehh
Back on topic, only reason i think the new crop of cop cars are cool is because im banking on finding used ecoboost stuff for p71 prices in a decade or so. Already have looked at used police tahoes, way cheaper than a comprable civilian tahoe
My wife works for a company that upfits vehicles for police departments and the like. It is inconceivable to me how much money is spent on vehicles. Last month her total AR was over $4 million. That is just one month, over four million dollars. Blows my mind.
I really miss the CVs because they were super easy to identify at a distance at night - those big square headlights with the amber lights mounted inboard meant slow down and watch out. None of the current crop seem to have very distinctive lighting.
I'm pretty impressed by how the Interceptor Utility has improved its "aggressive" look since it first came out. I feel like the the "squared off" headlights of this newer model lend itself to that look. Just like how the Tahoes are...I feel as if the older ones look "tougher" than the newer ones...
New Tahoe
Old Tahoe
In reply to pimpm3:
I appreciate all of the gear you wear, though I'm bummed the world has changed in my lifetime so that bullet proof vests are pretty much mandatory for anyone who does your job. 
There is a difference in uniforms and perception locally even with everyone carrying pretty much the same gear. I'm also aware that the people wearing the uniforms and driving the cars are very seldom the ones making those decisions. When I was a kid it seemed to be us and the police vs. the bad guys. Too often these days it seems to be the police vs. us and the badguys, and I don't think making cruisers invisible helps this.
JohnRW1621 wrote: Oh yeah, and always sitting under the bridge so as to be in the shadow and shade during the day.
That's because that is the only PLACE they can park and still be in their jurisdiction. Going northbound, I think the signs indicating the town limits are on the bridge and immediately after.
mazdeuce wrote: In reply to pimpm3: When I was a kid it seemed to be us and the police vs. the bad guys. Too often these days it seems to be the police vs. us and the badguys, and I don't think making cruisers invisible helps this.
This is an excellent summation.
I'll add that being a white guy living in an overwhelmingly black neighborhood has really opened my eyes to how the other half lives, and is treated by the LEOs. Why this little fiefdom prefers to hire white officers that look like 'roid raging skinheads, all of whom come from a whole different region of the county is beyond me. It doesn't foster good feelings in the community.
They see where I live and look at me cross-eyed all the time. I've been here more than a decade.
what amazes me, with cops being used as a "money grab" is that atlantic city, with all it's financial woes, does not aggressively patrol the three highways onto the island. With the way that people speed (20 over is not uncommon) I am sure they could make millions...
Yet I rarely, if ever, see a cop car on these roads unless there is an accident. Unfortunately, due to the speeds involve, the amount of traffic, and the lack of any place to get off of the road in an emergency (unless you can swim) means that most accidents are quite deadly. There is a reason that Route 30, the "white horse pike" is one of the most deadly roads in NJ
mad_machine wrote: lack of any place to get off of the road in an emergency
If it's anything like some stretches of the Merritt in CT, this is why there's very few cops (and they're not inclined to pull someone over unless they're being blatantly unsafe). If there's not much of a shoulder, a cop is putting themselves at significant risk of being hit by passing traffic if they pull someone over, so they just don't.
mazdeuce wrote: In reply to pimpm3: I appreciate all of the gear you wear, though I'm bummed the world has changed in my lifetime so that bullet proof vests are pretty much mandatory for anyone who does your job.
In PA, the state police look like they are working in Afganistan.
There are some bad people in there... better lay siege to the place.
My god, i didnt know it was so bad in some places. I HATE that our police is now militarized, it degrades public relations all over the thought that it keeps the police on the same par as bad guys. Idk about yall but ive never seen drug dealers driving mraps and holding ar15's and grenade launchers.
I'll take the other side on this one. The cops aren't bringing the MRAP or armored bobcat to run radar. They bring them exactly because the people in the house may have AR15s or the like.
Actually, that first picture looks like it's from when the crazy guy was running around the Poconos killing police outside their barracks last year. I'd say events like that are a perfect time to have access to an armored vehicle for cover.
Those are SWAT officers not regular policeman. There is a difference. You dress for what your doing. No agencies regular officers dress like that. Nor do they drive MRAPs.
If you are entering a building with a known armed suspect then not dressing appropriately would be a bad idea.
In reply to pimpm3:
When i as a kid, swat was reserved for EXTREME situations, not every freaking day that ended in Y's bottom barrel drug bust.
But i digress, this is the mindset of modern police and it will not change, only get more solidified that they NEED extreme gear to cary out day to day operations.
pimpm3 wrote: Those are SWAT officers not regular policeman. There is a difference. You dress for what your doing. No agencies regular officers dress like that. Nor do they drive MRAPs. If you are entering a building with a known armed suspect then not dressing appropriately would be a bad idea.
That first pic was part of a manhunt that lasted 48 days. Those goons in camo were not swat. They were every cop in the state. They were decidedly a little heavy handed with the rules regarding searching things too...
http://citizensvoice.com/news/law-firm-rights-violated-in-manhunt-1.1759719
The second one is from the same manhunt but a county swat team. That rig is what they were using to initiate a search of a home where he "might" be. So, basically, hunches. I expect a few beloved family pets were exterminated in the first few minutes of a "nope, not in here either" swatting.
The grenade launchers several of you have mentioned are not used for shooting "grenades". They shoot bean bags which are a less than lethal option for subduing a criminal. Instead of killing the individual they knock him down so he can be detained.
That or they are used to shoot clear out canisters into a building. Again another less than lethal option.
The first one is most definitely a SWAT team of some sort. An agency is not going to issue that expenaive equipment to regular officers. I hate to break it to you but the media in this country loves to sensationalize everything, and doesn't always get things correct.
The second picture is from a ring power advertisement selling up armored bobcats for SWAT use.
In reply to those commenting on the armored bobcat picture: those pics are from the hunt for Eric Frein, the wackjob that assinated PA state troopers in an unprovoked ambush. SWAT was more than appropriate in that event.
Don't let Huckleberry, AKA Giant Purple Snorklewacker, suck you in.
In reply to pimpm3:
I live in one of the very first search areas - so I didn't need the media to skew the results for me. Apparently all local cops, county sheriffs and staties have a cabinet full of camo outfits and M-16s. Those are state police in that 1st picture. The FBI were also out in combat gear but they wore all black. You could spot the local PD guys because they didn't have helmets or armored cars. It was quite a show. 500 cops in combat gear of varying degrees of seriousness for 48 days. FWIW, he surrendered to the Feds. If anyone else found him I expect he would have been found with a hole in him. I don't think any tears would have been shed by anyone if that would have been the case.
Also - to the OP... I like the Ford. I'd keep the wheels black but put something forged and alloy on there.
In reply to chiodos:
SWAT is used for extreme situations only. I get called out every time they do as a negotiator and it's been almost two months since my last one and I work in a violent city.
Why is everyone so negative towards the police on here I am actually kind of saddened by this.
I took this job to help people and I take it seriously as do a majority of the people I work with.
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