Pubdate: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 Source: Tulsa World (OK) Copyright: 2013 World Publishing Co. Contact: http://www.tulsaworld.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/463 POLICE GET, USE LEFTOVER IRAQ TRUCKS - FOR FREE QUEENSBURY, N.Y. (AP) -- Coming soon to your local sheriff: 18-ton, armor-protected military fighting vehicles with gun turrets and bulletproof glass that were once the U.S. answer to roadside bombs during the Iraq war. The hulking vehicles, built for about $500,000 each at the height of the war, are among the biggest pieces of equipment that the Defense Department is giving to law agencies under a national military surplus program. For police and sheriff's departments, which have scooped up 165 of the mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles, or MRAPS, since they became available this summer, the price and the ability to deliver shock and awe while serving warrants or dealing with hostage standoffs was just too good to pass up. "It's armored. It's heavy. It's intimidating. And it's free," said Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple. But the trucks have limits. They are too big to travel on some bridges and roads and have a tendency to be tippy. And then there's some cost of retrofitting them for civilian use and fueling the 36,000-pound units, which get 5 miles per gallon. The American Civil Liberties Union is criticizing what it sees as the increasing militarization of the nation's police. "One of our concerns with this is it has a tendency to escalate violence," said ACLU Center for Justice senior counsel Kara Dansky. An Associated Press investigation found that a disproportionate share of the $4.2 billion worth of property distributed since 1990 - everything from blankets to bayonets and Humvees - has been obtained by law groups in rural areas with few officers and little crime. Ohio State University campus police got one, saying they would use it in large-scale emergencies and to provide a police presence on football game days. Others went to police in High Springs, Fla., and the sheriff's office in Dallas County, Texas. In Boise, Idaho, police reported using their MRAP to serve a warrant, saying they had evidence the suspect might be heavily armed and have explosives. They found 100 pounds of bomb-making material and two guns. In New York, the Albany County sheriff's department already had four military-surplus Humvees, which have been used for storm evacuations and to pull trees out of roadways. Sheriff Apple rejected the idea that the nation's police forces are becoming too militaristic. "Nothing could be further from the truth," he said. "Our problem is we have to make sure we are prepared to respond to every type of crisis." Warren County Undersheriff Shawn Lamouree said its MRAP, which can hold six people and reach 65 mph, will have its turret closed up except for a small slot, the only place to fire a gun. Its bulletproof windows don't open. The retrofit would cost an estimated $70,000. While Lamouree acknowledged it will likely spend most of its time in a heated garage, except for occasional emergency calls. They've used armored vehicles to serve drug warrants. He said, "(In this county) it's common for people to have high-powered hunting rifles." - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom