Now DHS buys 2700 light armored vehicles

[Acera]

Another thing.

Has anyone gotten any information about Homeland Security wanting all police forces to drive black and white vehicles?? A buddy of mine at HPD says they fought it, but have conceded to it and are now going to stop painting their cars light blue and go to the black and white color scheme that DHS wants for all LEO agencies. Something about uniform changes also to appease the feds.

 

[Das Jared]

Re: Now DHS buys 2700 ligh armored vehicles

Another thing.

Has anyone gotten any information about Homeland Security wanting all police forces to drive black and white vehicles?? A buddy of mine at HPD says they fought it, but have conceded to it and are now going to stop painting their cars light blue and go to the black and white color scheme that DHS wants for all LEO agencies. Something about uniform changes also to appease the feds.

I see new hpd cars that are now black and white too.

sent from my dishwasher

 

[Shorts]

A non-tin foil hat answer is DHS intentionally spent cash like a drunken sailor in order to "use or lose" funds. There is no incentive to save the govt money and run a good budget because if you actually use less money you will be allotted less the next time around. And no one wants less. So if money is still left as the year is running out, order order order, spend spend spend, on anything to use all the money.

It happens in I suspect every govt agency and office. For example I saw it first hand when I worked for the Air Force. I'm certain other branches do it too.

 

[Shotgun Jeremy]

Re: Now DHS buys 2700 ligh armored vehicles

Navy does it. I used to love end of the fiscal year lol

Sent from my toolbox

 

[Roscoe]

The facts are there is no federal budget right now. All govt agencies are operating under a continuing resolution. Nice way of saying they can spend up to 90% of what they spent per quarter last year. No request for bids has been released by DHS for these MRAPs. Nothing has shown up in the federal procurement DB. These are the same "news" people who came out last August saying DHS was purchasing 96 Bradley fighting vehicles for TSA. Bradleys won't even fit on many town/city streets - and of course no RFB or contract was released on the Bradleys. Last month the spiel going out was that DHS was buying several thousand (sorry, can't remember exactly how many) coffins. Again, no RFB or contract. Geez, the only TSA personnel who are armed are sky marshalls - they make up less than 10% or TSA and their budget is less than 10% of the TSA total. TSA probably doesn't have enough sky marshalls to drive all them damn Bradleys. DHS did contract for a lot of ammo last year. Of course they do have several federal agencies under their umbrella that they have to supply; and those contracts are really only valid for one year. Govt. can cancel any time after the first delivery - and most of these are five year contracts. Also, DHS has to provide ammo for FLETC. 7000 ARs (I imagine they really bought M4s) isn't that many when you consider the Secret Service, Customs, Border Patrol and Coast Guard, and other agencies fall under DHS. There's no doubt that DHS is a bullshit agency that should never have been formed. Still, I wouldn't be too concerned about these kind of web wonder blogs that are often created in some Mom's basement.

 

[Acera]

Bradleys won't even fit on many town/city streets -

I will argue..........errrr debate you all you want on that point. I drove the shit out of Bradleys on much tighter streets in German towns than we have here. We also road marched those things up and down the autobahn without any problems. Keep the track pads on them in good order and you don't even hurt the pavement. You would be surprised about how easy they are to drive, piece of cake driving one straight to my house and up to the garage door.

 

[Roscoe]

Not talking about a trained GI driving a Bradley, stud. I'm talking about some chairborne DHS wiener whose going to get very little or no road time with them. They'll would be lucky to get the damn things out of the parking lot, much less down a neighborhood street with vehicles parked on it. I don't seen any agency having designated drivers for the Bradleys or 2700 MRAPs!!

 

[Doc Roe]

Not talking about a trained GI driving a Bradley, stud. I'm talking about some chairborne DHS wiener whose going to get very little or no road time with them. They'll would be lucky to get the damn things out of the parking lot, much less down a neighborhood street with vehicles parked on it. I don't seen any agency having designated drivers for the Bradleys or 2700 MRAPs!!

If you can drive a car, you can drive an MRAP. That's how they're designed - to be essentially retard-proof. It's not like with the first armored tanks that used steering sticks. Pretty much everything since Vietnam has been set up so that anyone who can drive a normal, civilian vehicle can drive one with minimal training.

 

[Acera]

Not talking about a trained GI driving a Bradley, stud. I'm talking about some chairborne DHS wiener whose going to get very little or no road time with them. They'll would be lucky to get the damn things out of the parking lot, much less down a neighborhood street with vehicles parked on it. I don't seen any agency having designated drivers for the Bradleys or 2700 MRAPs!!

Quite obvious that you have never served in the mechanized forces. Recruits drive them out of a garage and through a course and back into the garages on their fist day of school at bldg 5500 on Ft Benning. They are almost as easy to drive as a car. Why would you think that they would put a person in one with little or no training for a mission?? That is just ignorant. I could have the average person on here up to minimal requirements in a 1/4 the time it takes for a CHL class. (FYI, I was an instructor there.)

Regarding you comment about the MRAP's, did you not watch the video and see how the guy talked about running them up and down the highway already? Well they are running them on public roads in Texas and New Mexico if you believe the video. They must have figured them out somehow..................


(Thanks for calling me a stud, did not think you knew me that well.)

 

[Texasjack]

I see absolutely no harm in the DHS having these vehicles or the ammo and guns announced earlier. These folks swore to uphold the Constitution, just like President Obama, and I'm sure the purpose is totally legit.

Oh, look! There's a unicorn! And the Easter Bunny!!

 

[Texasjack]

It doesn't matter what DHS does. The American public is so f*ing stupid they won't realize they're under a dictatorship until the gates of the gulag slam shut.

 

[Acera]

It doesn't matter what DHS does. The American public is so f*ing stupid they won't realize they're under a dictatorship until the gates of the FEMA Camp slam shut.

Sorry Texasjack, had to fix that for ya'.

 

[Roscoe]

Acera - I didn't serve in a mech unit - was in intel way back when I was in the army. I did drive a few hummvees and Mraps while assigned in Iraq. We had Seals next door to us in Ramadi, and have made a trip or two in an MRAP with them. I would say its quite obvious you've never served for a government agency or spent any time around a GSA garage. Wrecking cars seems to be a pastime for many federal employees.

 

[carlosrowlett]

not going to lie this kind of shit scares the hell out of me.

 

[Acera]

Acera - I didn't serve in a mech unit - was in intel way back when I was in the army. I did drive a few hummvees and Mraps while assigned in Iraq. We had Seals next door to us in Ramadi, and have made a trip or two in an MRAP with them. I would say its quite obvious you've never served for a government agency or spent any time around a GSA garage. Wrecking cars seems to be a pastime for many federal employees.

Well the Army was a bit of a government entity I think. I know it will come as a shock, but some of the guys in the infantry were not bright enough to do other jobs, and they pretty much got them figured out with a little help. I drove Humvee's, 113's, deuce and a halfs, even got a license for the 5-ton. Did not get a lot of training on them, not a lot was needed, but it was required before I was authorized to operate them. When the FBI ran the Bradleys around the Waco compound they seemed to do OK from a driving perspective. But then the FBI may be smarter folks and train their operators ahead of time, or use guys that had prior experience. They did not look like first timers from what I remember............(talking only BIFV drivers here only.)

I understand you don't have a lot of faith in your coworkers abilities, but I think smarter folks will not want to let any yahoo go driving with out some basic training and skills.

Do you honestly think that one day they will find these in the parking lot, unlocked, so some staffer could take off for a coffee and a doughnut run in one?

Don't know what agency you work for, but it scares the hell out of me to think that basic supervision and common sense is lacking as you suggest.

Not saying there will not be accidents, saw plenty of those. From a Bradley running over a Humvee to a M1 throwing a track and taking out the corner of a West German building. It happens, even to experienced drivers.


Just watch this video and you will see how easy they are to drive and park.

 

[Doc Roe]

..... I did -not- think a Bradley was capable of something like that. Can't decide if it's scary, impressive, or both.

 

[TheDan]

Ok, so setting aside the prepping-for-civil-unrest-tin-foil stuff... They bought 2,700 MRAPs?!?! I remember reading an article a while back where the Army was considering to stop purchasing them because they are too expensive. Something like $600,000 each. STOP FUCKING WASTING TAX MONEY!

 

[breakingcontact]

They're buying them with what money? Why are they buying them? For when there are masses of starving desperate people after they crash the economy after the Fed inflated it.

 

[popgun]

I guess I'm going to the HEB and buy a new roll of tin-foil.

 

[Acera]

I guess I'm going to the HEB and buy a new roll of tin-foil.

Let me know if you find some. All I have been able to find lately is that sub-par Aluminum crap. Tin works so much better for this kind of thing.