Remember back in April I mentioned that Keene, New Hampshire had accepted a $285,933 grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to purchase an eight-ton armored personnel vehicle called a Bearcat, made by Lenco Industries?
Well...the Berkeley, Albany, and the University of California police departments tried the same thing...but the Coalition for a Safe Berkeley gathered enough signatures on a petition to stop them.
Even Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates insisted the city reject police militarization!
For some strange reason, university spokeswoman Janet Gilmore said that "In a university setting, it’s not really appropriate" for police to operate an APC.
What's wrong with her?
What campus doesn't need their cops cruising around in a vehicle equipped with ballistic glass capable of withstanding multi-hits, blast-resistant floors, specially designed gunports, roof hatches/turret and agency specific equipment and/or modifications such as lights/sirens/battering ram/winches/thermal cameras and spot lights?
I mean it's not like Berkeley ever had any riots right?
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BTW, the citizens of Keene are also fighting against their cops getting one too.
