The Police-Industrial Complex...

[Texas Contrarian]

Hey, these guys need something to relieve the boredom of patrol duty, don't they?

But seriously, judging from all the quasi-military hardware some police departments have amassed, you'd think they're gearing up to fight a land war against some pipsqueak nation. Even in cities like L.A. with rampant gang activity, I can't see how a lot of this stuff is even remotely appropriate to the task. But at least the L.A.P.D. can spread the costs across a fairly large tax base. That's not the case with a number of medium-sized cities that have also gone for this sort of thing.

If the late Dwight D. Eisenhower had become a big-city mayor rather than president, I suspect that he would have had a problem with this sort of thing.

[hardroad63]

We have become a total police state thanks to 09/11.

[chefnerd]

Since the military has migrated to being the police, it's only logical that the police have replaced the military in Ike's Military-Industrial Complex warning.

[Guest032516]

Damn. Read this page from Andrew Sullivan's blog:

http://dish.andrewsullivan.com/2013/...l-complex-ctd/

And then watch this absolutely IDIOTIC marketing video for the Lenco Bearcat armored vehicle:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=gipHbhgJaX4

Holy shit. Those aren't Army Rangers jumping out of the vehicle. Those are commando cops.

That sales pitch was not being directed to the US Army. That was being pitched to the police department in Keene, New Hampshire, which probably has, like, 6 crimes each year.

They should fire the tone-deaf marketing company that produced that video.

And WHAT is with the sound track? Did AC/DC really give them permission to use "Thunderstruck" to sell armored vehicles to police departments?