Cops and armored vehicles....

I've gotten into heated discussions with close friends on the need of law enforcement to use armored vehicles from time to time. A few years back I was on a SWAT scene where the suspect was holed up in a building and he had almost 50 yards of kill space. The armored vehicle our team has allows them to approach shielded and deploy officers to enter the building.

Now there usual suspects at the Obama Regime want to limit purchase of the MRAP by local law enforcement. Remember the shooting in San Bernardino last month? How the sheriff deputies, also known as the "first responders", had to use AR-15s and an armored vehicle to approach. And they saved countless lives.

Now we have another example of how using formerly military equipment can be used in law enforcement.

Texas sheriff’s SWAT team uses MRAP to end stolen 18-wheeler standoff after chase



Remember those intimidating, oppressive, surplus military vehicles that are being taken away from police departments across the country? Well, one was used to finally put an end to a cross-county stolen 18-wheeler chase last week in Texas. The special response vehicle, used by the Hunt County Sheriff’s SWAT team was positioned in front of the truck after it had come to a halt and used as a position to fire tear gas into the cabin which ultimately ended the standoff. The man was arrested and the dog who was in the cabin was left with relatives, and not taken to a shelter.

Jan. 13–Units from multiple law enforcement agencies followed a reportedly stolen 18-wheeler across four counties Wednesday, before the slow-speed pursuit finally ended along the interstate 30 service road in Greenville.

The driver of the truck, identified as David Allen Arnold, 60, Burkeville, Va., was being held in local custody Wednesday evening, after he was arrested following a brief standoff, which involved SWAT units, an armored car and the use of tear gas.

No one was injured during the chase, which began in Kaufman County Wednesday morning when the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office began pursuing an 18-wheeler which had been reported stolen...

...Officers deployed spike sticks and several of the tires on the tractor trailer were deflated. But the chase continued through Rockwall County and entered Hunt County, at which time Arnold exited onto the south service road.

Speeds only reached 35 to 40 mph and continued into Greenville along the south service road of Interstate 30, ending when Arnold reached the dead end just past the former Mary of Puddin Hill store...

...“We were asked by DPS to deploy our SWAT unit,” (Hunt County Sheriff Randy)Meeks said. “I called our SWAT unit in as well as the Greenville Police Department SWAT team. We also deployed our Special Response Vehicle 6×6. We attempted negotiations with the suspect and we had no luck. A combination of the Hunt County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team and the Greenville Police Department’s SWAT team approached the parked truck inside the SRV vehicle. Two rounds of 40 millimeter of CS gas were shot into the cab of the 18-wheeler and the dog and the suspect exited the vehicle on the passenger side.”...

...“Anytime officers or civilians are not injured in an incident like this and the bad guy goes to jail is a good day,” Meeks said.

Dead on Sheriff Meeks, glad this came to a successful conclusion, great work by you deputies, the other officers and agencies involved. I'm