On patrol with the sheriff's "Peacemaker"

Patrol cars weren't adequate in keeping order in the land, Sheriff Leon Lott decided. So off to the army he went, to ask for an armoured vehicle fitted out with a machine gun. "It shall be called The Peacemaker," he thought.

The Peacemaker is now part of the official convoy of Richland County (South Carolina). With a speed of 30 mph, the vehicle is fitted with a machine gun that, in general, says the US Army, would not be aimed at a person, but rather, another armoured vehicle.

"We can use it to communicate with suspects"

Lieutenant Chris Cowan is the deputy of Sheriff Lott, who ordered The Peacemaker.

We see this armoured vehicle as a supplementary tool for our special response team. In certain situations, for instance a hostage taking, we can use it to approach a house to communicate with the suspects without putting the hostages in danger - possibly delivering a phone so that we can talk with them. We can also use The Peacemaker for parades. It's a good way to break the ice and start a conversation - maybe people will want to get involved in their communities when they see it and talk with the deputies.

Richland County is quite a quiet area; a good place to live in. The people who criticise us say that the vehicle isn't suited to the environment here. But they don't understand the applications that this may be used for - the likely hood that this will be needed is very small but if we need it we will have it. A few years ago in LA, robbers targeted a bank with machine guns, and killed several people and police officers. Maybe with the Peacemaker, they could have prevented death to citizens. We just want to protect our fellow citizens and we hope we'll never have to use it. The community chose the name Peacemaker, through submissions to the State Paper, because that's the way law enforcement is described in the bible.

In the end people criticise us because they think we bought the vehicle. They're wrong. The Peacemaker was army surplus; it didn't cost us a thing operate, purchase or maintain because we have people on staff that can do this. "

Commentaires

The most telling thing about

Soumis par Unregistered user (non vérifié) le jeu, 11/09/2008 - 13:49.

The most telling thing about this photo is that all the guns are pointed at ..............YOU!

Utilisateur non inscrit

Same comments than for the

Soumis par Unregistered user (non vérifié) le sam, 06/09/2008 - 11:54.

Same comments than for the 11 years old girls with her gun...
What's wrong with the US??

Utilisateur non inscrit

Weapons of War to Intimidate the "Citizen"

Soumis par Kent McManigal le jeu, 04/09/2008 - 20:43.

I would criticize this vehicle being in the hands of the sheriff's department mainly because it will be used to enforce counterfeit "laws". A counterfeit "law" is any "law" which attempts to control or regulate anything other than actual aggression or theft.

This vehicle will be used to emphasize the government's belief that it owns your body and can tell you what to put into it. It will be used to kidnap ("arrest") or kill people "for their own good".

It will be used to demonstrate that the government believes it can tell you which (or how many) weapons you can own. Yet, every "law" is backed by the government's guns and the threat of death.

It will be used as back-up to enforce government extortion schemes such as "property tax". Pay your ransom or lose your home.

These things are illegal, and more importantly, immoral acts that government has no authority to do. LEOs (Liberty Eradication Operatives) have no business being given more ability to attack the people who are unfortunate enough to be targeted by them.

LEOs have become the "standing army" that the founders of America warned us about. Who will listen to the warning?