Albuquerque Police - Accused of Excessive Force Buying Hundreds of Semi-Auto Rifles To Solve Problem

[TexasTowelie]

Last edited Sat Jul 12, 2014, 12:14 AM - Edit history (1)

Albuquerque police, sometimes dubbed the worst in the country among many over-militarized police departments for its long record of well-armed abuses, have come up with an innovative response to a DOJ investigation finding officers using their own personal assault rifles as "status symbols” have contributed to a "pattern and practice" of excessive force: Now, the police will buy them their assault rifles. The APD - which has paid $24 million in legal settlements to shooting victims' families (but never prosecuted a cop), long indulged in the practice of shooting at moving vehicles to slow them down, and recently faced widespread protests and a "people's trial" of their police chief after the killing of a homeless man - says it is buying 350 AR-15 assault rifles, the civilian version of the military-grade M16 used to kill that same homeless man, for $350,000 in order to replace on the taxpayers' dime the officers' own weapons they were consistenly abusing, because "that training shouldn't go to waste." So now, all good. Walter White, come home.

http://www.commondreams.org/further/2014/07/11-0

[Eleanors38]

1. Correction needed. The weapons purchased are not "assault rifles,"

a class which includes the full-auto M-16, because the AR-15 is in reality a semi-auto rifle.
That said, the AR-15 semi-auto carbine is finding its way into LEOs across the country. I don't like the trend of using this semi-auto rifle as a go-to weapon for many confrontations, but should be kept in reserve to be utilized only in unusual circumstances. 350? Not necessary.

[TexasTowelie]

2. Thanks,

I updated the thread title for accuracy.

[Eleanors38]

3. I had to look down the barrel of an APD cop's AR 15...

He stopped me during a re-cycling run in my van. Seems some twerp on a cell phone was miffed that I'd honked at him to move on a green light, so he phoned the cops and told them I had a gun. I didn't, but that's the overwrought response I got, which was totally unnecessary given the circumstances. I think they re-visited the twerp in person.

[blkmusclmachine]

4. Rat-a-tat-tat. You're dead.