The Mercer County Sheriff’s Office will not be the first local law enforcement agency in New Jersey to acquire an armored vehicle. “In situations like these where there is unfortunately an active shooter or a hostage, we’re told that time is critical, and that we need to be as responsive as possible,” he said. The man was shot dead and the Mercer County vehicle was not used.īut John Cimino, chairman of the county’s freeholder board, said county officers can deploy more quickly if they have a vehicle of their own. One of them deployed to a Panera Bread in downtown Princeton last year during a standoff between police and a man armed with what turned out to be a BB gun. Several local groups also object to the vehicle’s price tag, especially since New Jersey counties already have access to the three armored vehicles owned by the State Police. A show of force by police in that city in 2014 only fueled the anger of those protesting the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown by a police officer. “And we know for sure, of course, from the experience of Ferguson, that it really wrecks things in terms of police-community relations and sends exactly the wrong signal,” Moore said in an interview this week. Bob Moore, executive director of the Princeton-based Coalition for Peace Action, pointed to a recent study by a Princeton University researcher that found “militarized” policing tactics, such as the use of SWAT teams, neither reduces violent crime, nor keeps police safer. Kemler said the vehicle “clearly saved the lives of officers and local residents.”Ī number of local organizations came out against the purchase, however, including the NAACP of Trenton, and the Princeton Community Democratic Organization. He noted that a similar vehicle was used by Philadelphia police during a standoff last month when a suspect shot six officers while barricaded in a North Philly rowhouse. “It is an armor-protected vehicle that will only be used for extremely dangerous situations, such as a sniper, hostage negotiations, bomb threats, mass shooting incidents, active shooter incidents at a school, the threat of a dangerous felon, and for protection during dangerous situations,” he said. Mercer County Sheriff Jack Kemler, a Democrat, said in a statement ahead of the vote that the vehicle is not a tank or an “assault vehicle.” WHYY thanks our sponsors - become a WHYY sponsor
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |