At a time when the militarization of the police is being questioned as never before we get this latest obscenity. Moundsville, West Virginia is a small town (around 9000 pop.) that is experiencing severe economic hardship. But because of an insane Federal program that gives away toys like these they just took ownership of this.
Source: The Intelligencer
The Moundsville Police Department unveiled a “tactical resource vehicle” they obtained from the military at no cost as part of a federal government program on Thursday.
The vehicle is a 2019 Cougar mine resistance ambush protection vehicle, or MRAP, and was obtained under a federal program that makes surplus equipment available to states and cities, according, to Moundsville Police Chief Tom Mitchell. This particular piece of equipment was initially purchased by the federal government for the U.S. Marine Corps and is manufactured by Force Protection Inc., a division of General Dynamics.
“We could use it for various things,” Mitchell said. He said the department can use it as a “tactical resource vehicle” for various scenarios.
The vehicle’s rollout comes as there have been growing calls across the country to demilitarize police equipment and resources in the wake of protests and civil unrest in recent weeks.
While the vehicle had to be “demilitarized” before the city police department could make use of it, the MRAP could be used in a hostage situation as a tactical “rescue” vehicle or as an “incident command” vehicle, according to Mitchell. He said it is bulletproof and is capable of stopping a 50-caliber round of ammunition.
Twitter sneered, derisively.
Moundsville, WV is a small town with a population of 9,300, a poverty rate (22.9%) nearly twice the national average, and a median household income of $30,409, however .... https://t.co/dNWg9Q9nXn
— Donté Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) June 19, 2020
Moundsville, West Virginia, has a population of under 10,000 people; a violent crime rate half the national average; and a grand total of 2 murders over a ten year period.
But they need a million-dollar military vehicle designed to withstand IEDs. https://t.co/kgTtJsgvxf— The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) June 19, 2020
There were zero murders and two robberies in Moundsville, WV last year. When people say "defund the police," they mean "I bet Moundsville's schools need some new books, and maybe our money could be better spent on those." https://t.co/xqzbbm4QfC
— Ken Tremendous (@KenTremendous) June 19, 2020
I assume this is Moundsville, Afghanistan. https://t.co/sK6kA5tah4
— hend amry (@LibyaLiberty) June 19, 2020
