Police chief wants better protection for his officers

By Marc Thompson WYOMING, Mich. -- National Police Week kicked off Monday. Police safety is a major issue facing departments like in Wyoming, which is seeing more high-powered guns on the streets.

[Arctic49519]

Wyoming is getting worse every month, especially the northeast end.
The main problem is that the northeast end of Wyoming is a haven for illegal aliens. The "gang" activity is by hispanics. Anyone who drives through northeast wyoming can see the "tre manos" (TMG) tags painted on whatever these morons can find. Much of the "gang" problem would be solved merely by picking up and deporting invaders and deterring more from coming.

[what]

I can see the semi auto weapons but what good is the body armor. Most of these gangs use 223 cal or 7.62x39 which will rip though the body armor like cotton candy.

[Gail in Wyoming]

Any kind of additional protection is better than nothing. Safety has got to be a main issue, not only for the police, but the residents.

With all of the cutbacks in the police and fire departments, I can see where the Police Chief wants to do something.

[Batch 37 Pain is Good]

To use the "assault weapon" argument is a little misleading. My semiauto .308 Winchester 100 is every bit as dangerous as is any other deer rifle. The bullets go just as fast and it does not matter what the weapon looks like.

[Jeff I]

I believe the police need this type of protection. However, In a county the size and population of Kent, do we really need multipal police departments with tactical teams, police and chiefs? Think of the money each municipality would save if there were just one police department. In Kent county wide alone, how many times is a tactical team dispatched for each city,(Walker, Kentwood, Wyoming, Grand Rapids, Kent county Sheriffs dept.) vs. money spent for the training and salaries alone. One police department works in Orange county (Los Angeles New York) would it work here.

[jeepie]

Give them the tools they need. If the guy who works on your car needs a special tool, he gets it. If your doctor need equipment, he gets it. You pay for it with them, you pay for it with police protection. Do people think they ask for equipment because its fun? They know the resistence they will get when they ask for funding. Its tough times, and it sounds like he is trying to pay for it with grant money which helps. And they do make body armor that stops rifle rounnds, its heavy and worn for special applications from what I've read.

[Rick]

Just more money from taxpayers. That's suppose to be the job of police officers is to put their lives on the line. They are supplied well enough to do the job. If they hadnt helped create this problem, they wouldnt need more money. Look at what they did to Wyoming? I can see wanting to be protected, but assault weapons and all this extra fancy gear is not the answer. It's just a way of spending money. Look at when they bought those 2000 dollar bikes years ago saying how they were going to use them to patrol. Have you seen them in the last 6 years? What are they doing with all the old guns, but selling them to some gunsmith for 50 bucks apiece and he turns around and sells them for 400? We are all too aware of how frivolously the govt will spend our tax dollars. The days of the 200,000 dollar police car arent far away. The problem isnt extra protection for the officers, it's extra protection needed for the tax payer.

[Mark]

Jeff I wrote:

I believe the police need this type of protection. However, In a county the size and population of Kent, do we really need multipal police departments with tactical teams, police and chiefs? Think of the money each municipality would save if there were just one police department. In Kent county wide alone, how many times is a tactical team dispatched for each city,(Walker, Kentwood, Wyoming, Grand Rapids, Kent county Sheriffs dept.) vs. money spent for the training and salaries alone. One police department works in Orange county (Los Angeles New York) would it work here.

Yes, but then each individual department would have to give up some of their 'turf' and all the other BS that goes along with it. Same can be said of fire departments, no need to have 20+ departments duplicating equipment, training officers, purchasing, etc etc. Same can be said of HazMat teams, Confined Space, High Angle, etc, etc.

Too much politics involved and also common sense. And our politicians have way too much of one and none of the other. Just look at the Central Dispatch idea, 20 years behind it's time in the second most populous area in Kent County, absolutely absurd that we have as many different dispatch centers as we do.

[turdface]

Arctic49519 wrote:

Wyoming is getting worse every month, especially the northeast end.
The main problem is that the northeast end of Wyoming is a haven for illegal aliens. The "gang" activity is by hispanics. Anyone who drives through northeast wyoming can see the "tre manos" (TMG) tags painted on whatever these morons can find. Much of the "gang" problem would be solved merely by picking up and deporting invaders and deterring more from coming.

Hit the nail right on the head!!!!
The police know where the gangs hang,(if they don't then they aren't doing their job) they know who they are,(initiate a curfew say midnight, go round their tired **** up and arrest them. If they are illegal throw them on a cattle truck and take them back to Mexico or McCains house or shoot em, they're gang members right, don't wait for them to take a hostage or shoot up some neighborhood and kill some innocent kid. Wyoming isn't East LA or South Chicago YET.
If the Wyoming police chief is unsure how to do this just call the East Grand Rapids chief that city is notorious for keeping scum off their streets.

[Batch 37 Pain is Good]

turdface wrote:

<quoted text>
Hit the nail right on the head!!!!
The police know where the gangs hang,(if they don't then they aren't doing their job) they know who they are,(initiate a curfew say midnight, go round their tired **** up and arrest them. If they are illegal throw them on a cattle truck and take them back to Mexico or McCains house or shoot em, they're gang members right, don't wait for them to take a hostage or shoot up some neighborhood and kill some innocent kid. Wyoming isn't East LA or South Chicago YET.
If the Wyoming police chief is unsure how to do this just call the East Grand Rapids chief that city is notorious for keeping scum off their streets.

You're just making too much sense........Unfortunately govt does not possess that.

[Yardbirdjack]

As for shipping the illegals back, and locking up the smugglers, under current law and policy it is darn near impossible to be effective.

A friend who works the border caught two smugglers with loads of illegals. Since they didn't see them cross the border, they have to get several of the illegals to give sworn statements..that doesn't happen. One driver had 17 prior smuggling arrests!
You also must have at least 11 illegals in one vehicle to get prosecuted. If drugs you must have at least 500 lbs of marijuana to get prosecuted!

[Yardbirdjack]

Any European police department would have already had the equipment the chief is asking for. It isn't unreasonable,sad to say, but is becoming downright necessary. Depending on local courts, and circumstances local police aren't allowed to enforce imigratiion law...I guess that wouldn't be fair! Also the police can't round up the bad guys on neighborhood, suspicion, or general knowledge, without probable cause or seeing crime happen. As a rule, most crime victims think the police can do more than they are allowed, and most criminals think the police can't do as much as they are allowed. The attorneys make the money..it is a growth industry!

[Get Your Facts Straight]

"Wyoming police recovered an SKS assault rifle"

There is no such thing as a "SKS assault rifle". An assault rifle, by definition, is a selective fire weapon chambered for a cartridge of reduced size and/or power. The SKS is semi-automatic only.(Google "Sturmgewehr 44", then search Britannica.com for "assault rifle".)

"They're out there...a semi automatic high powered rifle"

The SKS is chambered for the 7.62x39 cartridge, which is slightly less powerful than the .30-30 Winchester, and approximately HALF as powerful as the .30-06 (in foot-pounds of energy). The 7.62x39 is not "high powered", by any stretch of the imagination.

[turdface]

Yardbirdjack wrote:

Any European police department would have already had the equipment the chief is asking for. It isn't unreasonable,sad to say, but is becoming downright necessary. Depending on local courts, and circumstances local police aren't allowed to enforce imigratiion law...I guess that wouldn't be fair! Also the police can't round up the bad guys on neighborhood, suspicion, or general knowledge, without probable cause or seeing crime happen. As a rule, most crime victims think the police can do more than they are allowed, and most criminals think the police can't do as much as they are allowed. The attorneys make the money..it is a growth industry!

Anybody out after the curfew gets picked up and taken to jail or rope off an area in the park or wherever. If nobody comes looking for them in a day or two with proof of citizenship or a green card then truck them to some remote area in Detroit or Canada or the desert and shove them out.
You can throw all the money in new gear and warm and fuzzy social programs you want at it but it won't do any good if you don't address the problem-say GANGS. If they get any more power, then the decent folk in Wyoming might just as well move out now and let it go to hell like the places I mentioned.
And don't tell me cops there can't make life pretty miserable for you if they want to. I lived in Wyoming for a long time they can be nasty and creative if they have to. Just turn them loose for awhile and problem solved.

[Frank]

Rick wrote:

Just more money from taxpayers. That's suppose to be the job of police officers is to put their lives on the line. They are supplied well enough to do the job. If they hadnt helped create this problem, they wouldnt need more money. Look at what they did to Wyoming? I can see wanting to be protected, but assault weapons and all this extra fancy gear is not the answer. It's just a way of spending money. Look at when they bought those 2000 dollar bikes years ago saying how they were going to use them to patrol. Have you seen them in the last 6 years? What are they doing with all the old guns, but selling them to some gunsmith for 50 bucks apiece and he turns around and sells them for 400? We are all too aware of how frivolously the govt will spend our tax dollars. The days of the 200,000 dollar police car arent far away. The problem isnt extra protection for the officers, it's extra protection needed for the tax payer.

My gosh, you are such a moron with thinking like that. Did you ever think that if the wonderful gov wouldn't have cut revenue sharing to the local cities they would still have enough officers working to put them on their bikes. Some day when you need the police and they refuse to help you because they don't have the proper equipment you will wish they did.

[NO WAY]

We had people shooting on our street it took them 10 minutes to show up...Why give them better vest when they can't even show up to the fight in time! You ask them what is going on...They have no idea!

[Loser]

Rick wrote:

Just more money from taxpayers. That's suppose to be the job of police officers is to put their lives on the line. They are supplied well enough to do the job. If they hadnt helped create this problem, they wouldnt need more money. Look at what they did to Wyoming? I can see wanting to be protected, but assault weapons and all this extra fancy gear is not the answer. It's just a way of spending money. Look at when they bought those 2000 dollar bikes years ago saying how they were going to use them to patrol. Have you seen them in the last 6 years? What are they doing with all the old guns, but selling them to some gunsmith for 50 bucks apiece and he turns around and sells them for 400? We are all too aware of how frivolously the govt will spend our tax dollars. The days of the 200,000 dollar police car arent far away. The problem isnt extra protection for the officers, it's extra protection needed for the tax payer.

I failed to see where they are asking for tax money???

I believe grant money is exactly that, money provided through non taxed avenues. Such as donations, special interests, etc...

I too am fed up with paying the government more and more and more money. Lets focus on where the blame should be placed, rather than bash specific agencies.

It is obvious the government spends way too much money, in ways it should not. Lets not blame the police departments for attempting to protect the common tax paying citizen from ever more popular non tax paying criminal. You know lets refer to them as the tax sucking criminal. Not only do they go to prison and earn our hard earned tax dollars. They are paroled and given more tax money, because they are disabled (There disablitity is a headache or anxiety disorder or drug addiction or.. I know just plain F'ing lazy) or unable to function in this society.

Now, lets complain about where the majority of out tax money goes. Place the blame in the more deserving area.

Oh yeah and lets support Obama, who want to increase FICA tax by 6% to pay for more programs to give these productive American citizens more reasons to not work and be lazy. That would mean my tax base would increase to 38%. WOW, more than one third of my hard earned income to taxes.

Wonder how the revolutionaries in Boston in the 1700's are resting. I bet there is little peace in those graves.

LONG LIVE KING GEORGE III.

[DUH]

NO WAY wrote:

We had people shooting on our street it took them 10 minutes to show up...Why give them better vest when they can't even show up to the fight in time! You ask them what is going on...They have no idea!

No, they dont want to tell you, quite frankly it is none of your business until the investigation is finished.

What you fail to see is the big picture, you want immediate satisfaction to your concerns and worries. LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE. The before, the during, the aftermath. Let me enlighten you to how police officers see things, they dont know what side of the fight you may be on. This might surprise you, but criminals lie to the police, because they dont want to get caught.
Since you know everything, maybe if you should have called the police 10 minutes before you knew the fight was to begin they would have been glad to show up and engage in the fight. Or did you even bother to call the police???
But then you would complain that the criminals, your good neighbors who never do anything wrong, were mistreated and jailed and the police showed up with their guns drawn and shut down the area and streets for three hours and complain to the media and their supervisors. Need I say more?

[dig]

DUH wrote:

<quoted text>
No, they dont want to tell you, quite frankly it is none of your business until the investigation is finished.
What you fail to see is the big picture, you want immediate satisfaction to your concerns and worries. LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE. The before, the during, the aftermath. Let me enlighten you to how police officers see things, they dont know what side of the fight you may be on. This might surprise you, but criminals lie to the police, because they dont want to get caught.
Since you know everything, maybe if you should have called the police 10 minutes before you knew the fight was to begin they would have been glad to show up and engage in the fight. Or did you even bother to call the police???
But then you would complain that the criminals, your good neighbors who never do anything wrong, were mistreated and jailed and the police showed up with their guns drawn and shut down the area and streets for three hours and complain to the media and their supervisors. Need I say more?

Very well said!!!!!!!

[dig]

Rick wrote:

Just more money from taxpayers. That's suppose to be the job of police officers is to put their lives on the line. They are supplied well enough to do the job. If they hadnt helped create this problem, they wouldnt need more money. Look at what they did to Wyoming? I can see wanting to be protected, but assault weapons and all this extra fancy gear is not the answer. It's just a way of spending money. Look at when they bought those 2000 dollar bikes years ago saying how they were going to use them to patrol. Have you seen them in the last 6 years? What are they doing with all the old guns, but selling them to some gunsmith for 50 bucks apiece and he turns around and sells them for 400? We are all too aware of how frivolously the govt will spend our tax dollars. The days of the 200,000 dollar police car arent far away. The problem isnt extra protection for the officers, it's extra protection needed for the tax payer.

The job of the military is to protect our country too. Does that mean that we shouldn't give them the best tools for the job? Hopefully the GRANT goes through for them and they get the very best.