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.
Are there really mines in that county ? That they would need this .
Obama getting ready for the people to push back
Marcus kaiser your are supplied with pissed off veterans ready to to take charge when we are called and all of is know the ins and outs of those vehicles
I don’t have any mines? how many citizens have mines? What do they think is going to happen? they got some plans to hurt us? Hopefully our own will know enough to join the right side and save our country form Obama and his kind of socialism.
The govt plans to have all these in place so they can confiscate and use them during Marshall Law.
What’s sad is you people think that police aren’t citizens too nor that they are affected by what the federal government is doing. Those officers and all others have wives, husbands, brothers, sisters, daughters, sons and other family. Who do you think will stand in front of you when the federal government wants to take your guns or other rights away? Police officers have a ton of military vets and very patriotic members for America. Stop hating on them and start to realize they aren’t the enemy but the current administration in the White House sure is. Why don’t you guys go on ride alongs and get to know your local police before bashing them or what they do. Smh I feel and pray for you. Never should you assume anything about a person nor the job without experiencing it first. Become informed first then of you still feel the same way I can respect that.
as we all know not all are evil but then again not all are good .
It’s not about protecting American citizens, it’s about systematic takeover of every civil and social service in existance – it’s about federal oppression.
chicken $#%&!@* cops
if those officers do their job correctly and follow the constitution they would have no need for a armored assault vehicle .