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.
The giv knows somethin
They are gearing up can you see through
OVERKILL !!!!
Furgeson is the excuse for our police force in the country to gear up and get ready for martial law..that’s what it seems anyway..all they need is one reason and they act on it right in front of out eyes..
Seems like this administration is trying to make a police state,Here and all over
This is the biggest lie put on Americans today other than Obama. How does this protect cops period? To do any police or sheriff job you have to do it in person. Which means you have to get out of the vehicle! To serve a warrant, make arrest, give tickets and even in a hostage situation. They have to get out of it. So this in no way protects them! It’s only purpose is to intimidate people and get people use to coming martial law!
My take on all of this is Obama is getting them set up for when he decides he wants to be a full blown dictator. He will have his private army in position as well.
For those of you that have never heard of his private army, look up “Obama’s Brown Shirt’s” and read all of it a d the articles attached to it.
Ok Frank, time to go back in your room at the asylum.
Looks good to me
A sheep Dermot is…