Militarization of Police

Sheriff's Department Definitely Needs a Mine-Resistant Vehicle for All Those Mines in Tennessee

But seriously, it doesn't.

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A sheriff's department in Tennessee is the lucky recipient of a military-style mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicle. This is a vehicle that the U.S. Army uses to weather improvised explosives, rocket-propelled grenades, and mines.

Here's a photo, courtesy of the Tennessee Department of General Services:

"It will be put to good use!!" the Greene County Sheriff's Department replied.

Under the National Defense Authorization Act, the military can transfer excess equipment to local law enforcement agencies, largely for counter-drug and counter-terrorism activities. The big question, of course, is why police in Greene County, with a population of roughly 70,000, need a mine-resistant vehicle to fight the war on drugs. Are there a lot of land mines in Tennessee?

Unsurprisingly, Twitter users have had a field day with this:

If the deputies run into any RPGs, they should post a photo of that too. Til then, I think those angry tweeters have a point.