Walton County Sheriff’s Office Mike Adkinson states that their department just got a mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle (MRAP) for “an insurance policy,” in order to keep deputies safe in dangerous situations – citing examples past violence in the country.
However one journalist, Justin King, calls out Adkinson’s claims of violence as over exaggerated, instead stating that the county is virtually crime free.
Walton County Sheriff’s Officer Mike Adkinson denied that the purchase of the vehicle was an attempt to militarize the police department, adding that he wouldn’t let public opinion get in the way of the “safety” of his colleagues.
“This is not the federal government intruding on your civil liberties,” wrote Adkinson in a Facebook post. “Would you really want them sent into harm’s way without the best protection available, simply because the military originally purchased this vehicle?”
This didn’t stop residents expressing their anger at the decision to buy the vehicle, with one commenting that the purchase represented “an offensive intimidation method used to controll [sic] and strike fear.”
Another respondent agreed, remarking, “This doesn’t make the officers safer. All studies show that the more militarized a department becomes, the more often officers get hurt. This is Walton County, Florida, not Iraq, not Afghanistan.”
As Justin King points out, despite Adkinson’s effort to justify the purchase by pointing to examples where cops have had to deal with suspects barricaded inside their homes, Walton is such a peaceful and virtually crime free neighborhood that it was used to represent an idyllic American town in the 1998 movie The Truman Show.
“Walton County is a part of Florida that is so crime free you can leave your doors unlocked. When Hollywood location scouts were looking for a community so perfect that it appeared to be fake, they came to Walton County. The Truman Show, staring Jim Carey, was filmed on location in a small Walton County community,” writes King, accusing the Sheriff’s department of abandoning common sense by purchasing the vehicle and pointing out that it is only likely to spur additional violence.
“This vehicle is an implement of war. It has no place in this county. The decision to bring this to a small community will only increase violence against citizens by creating a combat mindset in deputies. This violence will be returned, and deputies will face violence on a level not seen before in Walton County,” writes King.
I just hope they can keep up with the maintenance on that beast. I hope they have the money to support it!
Obama is supplying all these cities with these military vehicles so when he and his brotherhood ppl get ready to take over this country and the first thing they plan to do is declare Marshall law, they are supplying them with AR-15 & AK-47 which we can’t fight against with our 9mm.
Burn that pos
And the two $#%&!@*s beside it
Great news I’m sure it will come in handy be safe
Just look at the two goons standing in front of it, you know they can’t wait to use it.
Chris, because you likely rode in Navy Equipment, let me explain this MAXXPRO model MRAP that I myself have been a truck commander in. They are good for transporting personnel (have 6 seat capacity in the back) have a strong winch to tear barricades, and have tires that work on CTIS and are virtually bulletproof. Plus, the system is completely self-contained. These are all things that would benefit a SWAT. I am as conservative as it comes and believe me, I am not the biggest fan of the POTUS but I think it is ridiculous to villianize police departments for wanting to keep their officers better protected. This is right in line with those Michael Brown supporters who want to see cops dead. You can call BS all you want but just keep an open mind. There is plenty to be paranoid about with this administration but please know that the police are on YOUR side and because they are not federally employed don’t have to obey any order from Obama,.
They are militarizing the police to prepare for totaltarian socialism as seen around the rest of the world…They want us to get pissed off and hate the police so this is what they are pushing for….
We need this vehicle. Has justin king just been smoking whacky weed or is he on drugs or both?
Those two “goons” keep communities full of families like yours safe Richard McLean. That was a statement I would expect to hear from a thug. Do you know these officers?