Palestine, AR Police lose Humvee
Poetrooper sends us a link from Yahoo News that the police department of Palestine, Arkansas, population 700 souls, took a few days to notice that one of their Humvees that they’d recently acquired from the feds was missing. Apparently, the thief drove the vehicle with it’s distinctive paint job, unnoticed, into some trees and completely ruined it, but that’s OK, because now it’s a hanger queen for parts to fix the other one when it inevitably breaks down, says the Chief;
In fact, at least three other police stations have misplaced or been robbed of their government-issued Humvees in the past five years. Weapons turn up missing, too. Yahoo News found that local police departments like Palestine’s have been suspended from the Pentagon 1033 program for misplacing at least 14 M16 assault rifles, 11 M14 assault rifles, 21 pistols and 10 shotguns. These figures don’t come close to representing the total number of weapons that have been stolen or lost over the life of the program, however — a figure the Defense Department has not released.
Well, I’m glad that the taxpayers’ money isn’t being wasted on frivolous stuff that the departments don’t need – or don’t mind losing. We used to have 19-year-old E-2s and -3s who could account for a few hundred weapons in an infantry company without error. That doesn’t make these police departments look particularly competent. Since when is an M14 an assault rifle? It’s not black or scary, in the most common configuration as I understand it to exist as an M14. Must be the flash suppressor.
Category: Police
14 M16 assault rifles, 11 M14 assault rifles, 21 pistols and 10 shotguns
For a department with 5 people?
I think I need to become a Police Department so I can score some freebies.
Misfire-apparently Palestine itself didn’t lose that many weapons.
Note to self – reading is fundamental…
They have to be double-fisting the M16s and then duct-taping the other four to a single guy to form a human turret.
Now, from the “you’ve got to be fucking kidding me” dept.
14 – M16s!?!?!? Really!?
They aren’t concerned about it? Yet, if I have an AR-15, they want to lose their collective minds over it.
Competence….it’s not for everyone.
*raises glass of delicious rum drink to you*
At age 22, I was responsible for 80 M4s, 19 M9s, 3 M24s, 8 M224s, and a company’s worth of PAQ4s, PVS14, PVS7s, and other related serial numbered items. I was armorer for an Infantry Battalion’s Scout/Sniper/Mortar Detachment.
At age 30, I was responsible for a great deal more, to include a number of HMMWVs, Deuce-and-a-halfs and those new rigs they used to replace the 2.5 tons that I can’t remember the names of. I also had 5 issued minions (ranking E-2, E-2, E-3, E-3, and E-4). This time I was a Unit Supply Specialist for a Brigade Support Battalion’s HHC.
In all that time, I misplaced only 1 weapon system out of my inventory. It was later found after a cursory search of the misplacing offender’s vehicle and dummy-corded to him with approximately 20 meters of 550 cord.
Never did I lose track of any vehicles in my yard, any weapons in my vault, or any equipment in my sensitive-items lock-up.
Then again, I was a highly-trained United States Military Supply NCO. I wasn’t your average Andy Griffith or Barny Fife who wanted to play weekend warrior and kick down the doors of rednecks who probably have more training.
I was in charge of my armory as well. I had 75 M-9s, 74 M-4s, 24 M-16A2s, 24 M-203s, 6 M-249s, 5 M-240s, 5 M-2s, 2 M-24s, 2 MK-19s, 2 M-870s, 50 AN/PVS14s, 30 AN/PVS7Bs, 36 Tasers, and an insane hodgepodge of other high dollar gear. Never once lost a single piece of equipment. Was also the squadron VCO, only lost a vehicle once when I was instructed to hand over our best truck to the EET group that was evaling my unit. The EET clowns left the vehicle at the hotel with the doors unlocked and the keys in the damn thing when the exercise was over and they flew home. We found it after a few hours of looking (still where they left it).
Maybe Israel was using Apple maps, went to the wrong p
Palestine and thought they found a Hamas weapons cache.
It’s funny how the press has to sensationalize everything, especially when it comes to the military or police. The stolen HMMWV is now a, “hulking armored personnel carrier.”
Everyone’s favorite birther sheriff Joe Arpaio is missing equipment as well:
Arpaio said the agency picked up about 200 weapons from the surplus program shortly after he was elected in 1993, and 20 to 22 vanished over the years. Through internal audits, the office was able to recover about half of the firearms, typically from retired or current deputies who had brought them home.
The current arsenal that the Sheriff’s Office amassed from the 1033 program includes a Hummer, a tank, 90 M-16 rifles, 116 .45-caliber pistols, 34 M-14 rifles and three helicopters. It is short eight .45-caliber pistols and one M-16 rifle.
Source: http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2014/08/26/mcso-weapons-pentagon-suspension-1033/14659089/
Closer to my home, Melbourne FL police lost an M-16 rifle. They searched for it for 6 months until it was recovered at an cop’s home. Apparently, he forgot he had taken it home with him.
Source: http://raisedonhoecakes.com/ROH/2014/05/31/if-you-find-an-m16-rifle-on-the-beach-melbourne-police-would-like-to-talk-to-you/
My problem is that these are the people that keep talking to regular citizens about gun safety and the importance of keeping weapons locked up yet they have weapons walking out the door and no one knows where they go.
Okay, while the Quartermaster side of me is cringing at the thought, I can completely understand the desire for an M-16 when you retire (or an M9).
I have a fairly sizeable personal collection of my own. And at any given time I can account for each of my weapons, every magazine, every bayonet, every M1 or SKS clip, every holster, every cleaning patch. I might not be able to find my keys, my phone, or my sunglasses from time to time, but if it launches a bullet or holds an edge, I track it like a bloodhound. Yet I’m the one who should be disarmed!
A tank? Really? Haven’t seen one of those on the streets yet. Must live in the wrong county.
Don’t these people have to sign for issued equipment? Or use some kind of chit system for temp loaners?
Back in my day, I never got a piece of expensive test equipment without signing for it and taking ownership, so to speak.
And I never lost any of it either.
Gee whiz, shit like this sure makes me feel safer at night. I wonder how many of those weapons have found their way into the hands of gangbangers and drug runners like the Fast & Furious weapons? Accountability? Government needs to practice what it preaches!!
Deputy: hey sheriff what’s this cable thingy bolted to the floor?
Sheriff: hell if I know get it removed.
I wonder if they even had a keyed ignition switch installed in that truck?
UGGG, the M-14 is NOT an assault rifle it is a BATTLE RIFLE, this includes the EBR variant. Most of the weapons that had the ability to go full auto had the selector switches welded to the SEMI setting due to the soldiers inability to control the weapon on full auto.
It must have come in very handy to the department. They must have used the heck out of it. What? You say it took them a week to notice that it was missing? Oh, well, nevermind then.
PS The stolen/wrecked one was one of two they had. It is now on deadline supplying parts for its mate.
I kinda wonder, was it REALLY stolen, or did someone’s Cousin Jethro want to take it out in the woods and “go muddin” with it, and that’s how it got wrecked? That could explain the delay in discovering the “theft” of that truck!
“Here, hold my beer and lookey this!”
I thought the Army and Marine Corps as well as some spec opps units were in dire need for M-14s to use for the DMs. I guess I was wrong since they are giving them away to civilian police departments.
Which variant of the hummvee is this? The ‘normal’ one? I’m guessing it wasn’t up-armored.
The normal humvee has LESS protection than the newer Crown Vics (with ballistic liners). The doors on the ‘vees are basically wind/dust protection, that’s about it. So why do they need it? They ain’t gonna ride one into a firefight, that’s for sure. Hell a standard ambulance would provide better protection…
Oh- and if it’s the variant pictured, it doesn’t even have AC in it. So hot summer stakeouts with it are OUT…
kinda, well, “conspicuous” for s takeout, isn’t it?
Humvees at least make sense. It’s a rural department. Lots of places that are not on a paved road, or even a road at all. Being able to haul cops or equipment off-road is a necessity for rural departments.
Makes a hell of a lot more sense to be handing out unarmored humvees to rural police departments than to be giving out MRAPs.