Discussions

They didn't play GI Joe enough when they were kids. Ridiculous

As for the previous clown that said they didn't play enough GI Joe, hope they never have to use it while getting you out of a predicament .  
 
Edited by PG13, 2019-12-20 08:26:57

say what you want, but that is $400 000.00 that could have been used to get meth off the streets of Brandon and Westman. Instead they got a shiny new parade float. Not money well spent in my opinion.

The officers deserve the protection this will provide, and it may well save public lives by allowing them to have the advantage over the bad guys.  
 
A good use of the proceeds recovered from crime.

If there is a need for such a vehicle it suggests that society has some very serious problems. It’s very sad. Sure am glad that I don’t live in the city if it’s that bad. I do agree wholeheartedly with tiger barb that we would do better to tackle the root of the problems. I am not sure that this kind of heavy handed approach has a place anymore.  
 
Edited by Farmergeorge, 2019-12-20 08:53:17

Generally, I'm against militarizing the police. I think they are unapproachable and have done a good job alienating the communities that they should be a part of.  
 
That said, they are put in danger, and should be able to do their job safely.  
 
I would much rather see the money spent on this vehicle go into preventing the circumstances that create the crime that a vehicle like this is meant to combat.  
 
I think that when a massive expense like this is made, we have a right to see how and why they service is spending their budget. I don't think that they should expect the benefit of the doubt with the number of issues that have surfaced about BPS.

My understanding is the monies obtained through criminal busts is where the money came from. Not taxpayer dollars. I could be wrong. I like the quote in the article stating that it is an insurance policy. Hoping to never need to be used but great to have in case we need it.

So, Tiger Barb, the next next time the Brandon Police gets a call of someone at a residence, high on meth, hyper paranoid and may have a handgun, please give your name to the police so they can call you, and you can go knock on the front door. If you think those kind of calls aren't coming into BPS then you have had your head in the sand for the last several years.  
 
Winnipeg Police have used their armored vehicle 78 times last year and not as a parade float.  
 
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-armoured-vehicle-deployments-1.5171785

Are you ready for your taxes to go up to build these new jails and house and feed more criminals ?

meth and other drugs plus the guns involved with the illegal drug trade is one reason the force needs such a vehicle. Officer safety is paramount!

So how will this vehicle change the scenario that you mentioned? It won’t go in and get those armed criminals out and arrest them. I agree with my handle strain, the weak and liberal approach afforded to convicted criminals for decades has created these issues. When I came to Canada I couldn’t get immigration if I had any criminal record at all and rightly so. Take the criminals off of the street for good ,take military style weapons, and hand guns out of circulation and work to remove drugs from the streets.

Cut the pay and pensions of the politicians and there we go! Committing crime deserves jail time, not a slap on the wrist. Being high on drugs or alcohol is not a excuse for breaking the law!

Looks like it should be able run over the meth heads and other useless members society with minimal damage to the vehicle. So it's got that going for it.

do not like my comments? I stand behind my opinion. $400k is approximately 4 more sets of boots for a year on the BPS. In my opinion far more valuable in the fight against drugs and crime than an armoured vehicle to smash through walls.

i agree with you completely

Totally aggree

I'd rather our police have a vehicle like this and never need it than need it and not have it. The more safely our police force can deal with armed criminals the better. That's going to result in our citizens being safer as well.  
 
With the level of drug and gang crime happening, here as well as most parts of the country, I expect this vehicle will be used far more than just as an expensive parade float.

https://www.macleans.ca/canadas-most-dangerous-places-2019/  
Here’s a copy from Maclean’s magazine Brandon is well in the top 50 most dangerous cities in Canada with rates going up in all categories. Note police will cut down on overtime and increase productivity and quality of life for them. All things the average person doesn’t think about. I’m sure more police if used properly will be more effective then one new car that won’t be able to be used because the only qualified drivers are else were or on stress leave due to increased overtime

There was an armoured vehicle called the snatch land rover that was used in Northern Ireland by the police and the British army. The vehicle made the officers and soldiers a sitting target for the paramilitary groups. More lives were lost in Northern Ireland through the use of snatch land rovers then were ever saved and it alienated the public from those trying to protect them. The same will happen with this vehicle. It will become an easy target and won’t help the situation at all.

this vehicle won't be out on the street daily. It will only be out when it's needed, so it won't suffer from wear and tear the rest of the police units get. Maintenance would be minimal and no different than any other vehicle.  
 
ACC has more than enough space in their Vic East campus to store since the heavy duty shops are open.

Realize that comparison is so far off mark. Ireland had a terrorist group called The IRA hunting the Brits, and there were armed patrols out on corners. Here , it's to be used in standoffs and such.

Are two different situations but I fear that the use of such a vehicle on civilian streets will alienate the officers from the public .

I think it is a great tool to have when, hopefully not too often, needed. As for dollar allocation, there will never be total agreement on best spending. .

Farmergeorge, the vehicle in question will not further alienate officers from the public. This vehicle has a very specific purpose and is to be utilized in high risk situations. Those types of situations are dangerous and unpredictable and this vehicle provides options to the police for protection, evacuation of casualties, command / control and a high speed platform that can be utilized as part of a breach plan. Your comparison to the IRA is way off base and has nothing to do with this vehicle purchase. These types of purchases are unfortunately necessary to ensure our police have the tools they need to complete their jobs safely. Does everyone forget the shooting that occurred in the east end a couple of years ago where that house got shot up by a high powered rifles? So, if a situation like that occurs again, would you be willing to intervene with no protection? No ability to evacuate one of your injured officers? This purchase is a solid insurance policy for the police and its great that they procured it using crime money.

Sure, the 400k is from proceeds, why not spend it on something else?  
An armoured transport vehicle? Really? This isn't Afghanistan or iraq where we have ied's going off randomly or ambushes going on. Someone spouted off about meth heads with guns in an apartment block, so how does that parade float help them there? They still have to get out of the vehicle to resolve the situation. Are they going to show up to a gun fight and just sit in there till the bad guys shooting at them runs out of bullets? oh wait, that doesn't happen. Transporting cops to the scene? They could buy vans and big suv's for that, oh wait, the already got those. All it is, is bragging rights "look what we got". How does this increase safety and productivity?  
 
Edited by Bigsmalltownguy, 2019-12-21 13:44:29

A part of me wonders if this will be used in conjunction with the federal governments plan to possibly confiscate certain property from legal, law abiding citizens in the near future.  
 
Looks like it has lots of storage space

Ok, take a look at the vehicle. It is obviously a military armoured style vehicle, needed in west man? Really? $400,000 ? This is not Beirut, it’s Brandon!  
 
Edited by Farmergeorge, 2019-12-21 14:20:23

Although a slightly different vehicle, here are some real world examples of what types of situations these vehicles are used in and how they can be utilized. Now, yes this is Westman and threats are lower than most cities however, like I said before it's a needed insurance policy for when .... not if these situations happen. They need the option.  
 
BearCats are designed to protect the lives of victims, officers and even suspects. Here are but a few of the many examples of this “proof of life” which are ignored by the critics.  
 
1. February 16, 2006: The Dallas SWAT team was attempting to serve a federal warrant on a suspect when he shot four officers. Tactical team members maneuvered the BearCat to allow for the safe rescue from the deadly environment and treatment of the wounded officers.  
 
2. March 31, 2009: In the woods of central Wisconsin, a suspect sniped at police from his home, which he had turned into an armored fortress. In the days that followed, the sniper continually tried to kill officers by firing countless rounds and throwing homemade firebombs from his up-armored domicile.  
 
At the climax of this event, officers — protected by multiple BearCats — took the suspect into custody after hitting him with less-lethal munitions as the armed suspect was escaping down a ladder to the rear of his burning home. No officers were injured.  
 
3. February 2, 2011: The Aurora (Colo.) area was inundated with 20 inches of snow. Wind gusts formed drifts of up to ten feet deep, making roads impassable. During this crisis, motorists found themselves trapped by the Artic conditions — with hope for rescue dropping as fast as the temperature.  
 
When all seemed lost, the trapped motorists heard the roar of an engine and saw a black mass of metal cutting a swath through the white landscape. Police officers in a BearCat were able to rescue 108 stranded motorists. The cold hard metal on wheels provided the two things these people were praying for: warmth and a ride home.  
 
4. March 31 2011: The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team deployed in Farmington (N.M.) in response to a barricaded gunman. During the event, the suspect leaned across the team’s BearCat and pointed a semi-automatic rifle at three officers inside the vehicle. Rather than shoot the suspect, officers fired a TASER through the gun port of the vehicle and took the man into custody. This less-than-lethal option was feasible only because of the tactical flexibility afforded by the BearCat.  
 
5. August 7, 2011: Green Bay (Wis.) officers located a man who had been firing a gun throughout a residential neighborhood. The suspect opened fire on the officers, but the officers were able to negotiate with him from the cover afforded by their BearCat.  
 
After a seven-hour stand-off, the shooter was subdued with less-lethal munitions.  
 
6. September 20, 2011: In Hockington (Wash.), Clark County Sheriff’s Deputies arrived on scene to deal with a man who had been shooting at a house as he sat in a tree. Negotiators were transported close enough to speak with the man via the agency’s BearCat. After three hours of successful negotiations, the troubled man climbed down from his perch and surrendered.  
 
7. March 6, 2012: In Harrisonburg (Penn.), the York County Quick Response Team and the Dauphin County Sheriff’s Office deployed at the scene of a barricaded gunman. The BearCat was moved into a position where officers were able to push in two windows.  
 
The man was taken into custody after he was shot with less-lethal munitions.  
 
8. April 14, 2013: The Rutheford County (Tenn.) Sheriff’s SWAT team were able to evacuate a neighborhood in Smyrna after a barricaded suspect opened fire, endangering all. One disabled resident was safely removed from the kill zone. Officers then saved the suspect from his own death by subduing him with less-lethal munitions.  
 
9. December 9, 2013: A suspect opened fire in a neighborhood with a 50 caliber rifle — endangering citizens far and wide. Fond Du Lac (Wis.) officers were able to use a BearCat to evacuate innocents from the kill zone and set up for negotiations. Negotiators convinced the suspects to surrender without loss of life.  
 
10. March 14, 2014: A suspect opened fire throughout a neighborhood and specifically at officers inside their BearCat. Officers of the Bakersfield PD SWAT team were able to rescue and evacuate 60 citizens in the line of fire.  
 
11. January 31, 2014: In Laingsburg (Mich.), a gunman shot wildly into a neighborhood. When the Michigan SP Emergency Support Team arrived, the suspect deliberately shot four rounds from a Russian-made Nagant — a 7.62X54 rifle — striking an occupied BearCat. No officers were injured.  
 
12. June 2, 2014: In Williston (Fla.), the Marion County SWAT team responded to an armed and violent man. They were protected by their BearCat as the suspect fired 20 rounds from an SKS rifle at the vehicle.  
 
13. August 21, 2014: In Dickinson (N.D.), the Southwest Tactical Unit was attempting to apprehend a fugitive wanted by the FBI. Members of the unit along with a negotiator pulled into a driveway. The spectacle of the BearCat inspired the suspect’s surrender within one minute of its arrival.  
 
CONCLUSION  
Police today must absorb the critique of the sharp-tongued pseudo-experts and yet hit the streets each day bound and determined to do some good. It is essential that police officers are afforded the protective armor BearCats provide — using this essential equipment has become a common tactic because it is common sense.

Let us all remember the being a police officer isn't even on the top 10 most dangerous jobs lol

Funny how all of the examples listed are from the USA.  
 
We all know how much more gun violence is down there. We are not even close to their statistics from gun violence.  
 
Nice try though