NYPD spends millions on military-style protective gear
The New York Police Department is spending $7.5 million on military-style bulletproof vests and helmets after a spate of recent attacks on police, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Commissioner Bill Bratton announced Monday. “You name it, we are buying it,” Bratton said at a press conference Monday morning. “There’s not a police department in America that’s…
13 responses to NYPD spends millions on military-style protective gear
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Howard Pearce @HAPlibertarian July 26th, 2016 at 09:07
military style gear . is that like military style guns ?
bpollen July 27th, 2016 at 04:27
Google it and answer your own damn question.
Howard Pearce @HAPlibertarian July 27th, 2016 at 08:54
I may have to if you don’t know anything.
bpollen July 27th, 2016 at 13:00
I never signed on to be your mommy. If you expect people to spoon feed you, you might wanna have mommy explain that not EVERYBODY is your mommy.
{{{Sniff}}} You have to Google and mean ol’ bpollen won’t do it in your stead? Oh, poor baby!
Mike July 26th, 2016 at 09:10
“The little vests we wear during the day are not adequate to take on a guy with military gear,”
That’s the kind of thinking that worries me…cops who think they’re facing military level opposition on a daily basis…it’s a dangerous fantasy that makes cops an occupying force and the public, the enemy.
The militarization of police will only lead us down a dark path.
Robert M. Snyder July 26th, 2016 at 12:15
I understand what you’re saying, but I also think that employers have a responsibility to make the workplace safe for their employees. In this case, we’re talking about protective gear, not weapons.
My neighbor’s National Guard unit served in the Iraq conflict. For many months, they did not have adequate body armor. Shortly after they received better armor, an IED exploded under a truck he was riding in. Several pieces of shrapnel were embedded in his protective vest. If he had not been wearing that vest, his 10-year-old daughter would have been left without a father.
Police officers have families, too. I think we owe it to these folks to ensure that good protective gear is available in situations where it is needed. But I also think that community policing may, in the long run, help to reduce the need.
Mike July 26th, 2016 at 12:53
I won’t argue we have an obligation to protect our police, but this goes beyond that…the article states offensive military grade weapons (Pepper spray, long guns, Tazers, etc.) are to now become standard for use against a civilian population…that’s disturbing.
Militarized cops lead to an us vs them mentality…JMO
Robert M. Snyder July 26th, 2016 at 13:28
I am not aware of any military units that use pepper spray and Tasers. I believe that they were developed specifically for police use, as non-lethal alternatives to firearms. Pepper spray and Tasers can be misused, and in rare cases they can be lethal. But I don’t think it’s accurate to describe them as military equipment.
A couple of months ago there was a viral video of a man slugging a woman who was lying on the sidewalk somewhere in Philly. Numerous young men stood around watching, but nobody attempted to stop this vicious beating. I told my wife that if I witnessed a situation like that, I would want to have a can of pepper spray that I could spray in the attacker’s eyes in order to rescue the woman. In situations like that, I think that pepper spray can be a valuable tool for law enforcement.
You mentioned an “us vs. them” mentality. When a woman is being savagely beaten, the officer isn’t using the pepper spray to protect herself. She is using it to protect the woman while inflicting minimal harm on the attacker. Without pepper spray and Tasers, the officer has only two options. She can either attempt to overpower the woman’s attacker, or she can draw her gun. I want her to have pepper spray so nobody gets hurt.
William July 26th, 2016 at 09:25
Have you ever noticed TV New footage of when major crime suspects are transferred from jail to court? Have you noticed they are wearing ballistic vests? When I was a rookie my department did not provide me with a vest. It always bothered me a little that the system was more concerned with protecting a murder suspect than me. I was encouraged to purchase my own. NYPD is purchasing 6000 vests for a department that has more than 34000 officers? It seems reasonable to me. If you want to get upset about officers getting so called “military style gear”, consider what they are up against. The NRA fueled by gun manufacturer money is fighting day and night so everyone in America can walk the streets with an AR-15 and a 30 round mag. Anyone can purchase a Kevlar vest and helmet. Night vision scopes are easily obtainable. In short the police must be able to fight fire with fire. This process started in the 80’s when we became clearly outgunned. Want to de-escalate the police? de-escalate the NRA. http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20093543,00.html
Suzanne McFly July 26th, 2016 at 18:53
I have no problem with providing more protection for our officers, they are dealing with citizens who have access to military grade weapons. Having said that, I still want them to get out of their cars and walk the streets in the daytime so they can develop a type of working relationship with the citizens. It is hard to respect those who sit in their cars and do not even address you. Cops and citizens have a lot more in common than they know, and if they get to know one another, a lot of the animosity will dissipate. It is a lot harder to hate someone when you know them, but it is easy to demonize those who you do not know.
William July 26th, 2016 at 21:08
I couldn’t agree more. The concept is called community policing. You get out of your glass and steel bubble and become part of your beat. Back in the day, everyone knew the name of the cop on the beat. That cop knew when Mr. O’Malley came home from work, and if a kid was missing when he observed the school crossing. He knew who to check on, and he would bring a troubled kid home and try to work it out with mom and dad. He knew to check on elderly Ms. Smith because her flowers hadn’t been watered in a few days, and which doors should be locked and when. He knew the bus schedule, the local clergy and who to call when someone needed guidance. Sadly, the bean counters have figured out that less officers can cover more area in a car. Bike patrols seem to be working in a lot of areas. The most important thing is for officers to ditch the “I versus then” mentality. Finally, I worked for a chief who knew when and where tactical uniforms were appropriate. The rest of the time, his standard was simple. “If you appear in a manner that would preclude a frightened, https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/677e466a4d6ac8d664542baa90c9c40ceb62d084821b84d3971623729c3f04de.jpg lost child from approaching you, you need to change how your appear”
Suzanne McFly July 26th, 2016 at 21:34
Things work out so much better when the donald trumps of the world have to pay their fair share in taxes. Not only would we have a bigger police force, the school rooms I work in would actually have papers, pens, and textbooks (or tablets) for every student.
robert July 26th, 2016 at 19:03
” there is not a police dept that is not spending 7.5 million on military gear “. LOL. Wanna bet Skippy !