Heavy armor fits JBLM, not small towns
As community kerfuffles go, what’s happening in Orting might seem like nothing more than a tempest in a teapot. Except in this case, the black, heavy-metal object at the center of a rolling boil in the city of 7,000 is not a teapot, but rather a surplus, seven-ton armored troop carrier on loan from the Pentagon.
Should it stay or should it go? As reported in The News Tribune last weekend, some say the V-150 Commando Army amphibious vehicle would make a useful asset during a natural disaster or a terrorist attack. Others say it’s an aggressive symbol at cross purposes with the kinder, gentler, community-policing model Orting needs to follow to regain the public trust.
City Councilman Dave Harman put his finger on the absurdity of the situation. “Maybe if we could paint it pink and put balloons on it, it would look less militaristic.”
Yes, just imagine the delight and/or confusion on the faces of Orting children watching the Daffodil Parade, as this beast in pastel colors lumbers down Washington Avenue. The last time a parade float had so much hidden horsepower? The climactic scene of National Lampoon’s “Animal House,” when the Delta house death mobile was disguised as a birthday cake.
All kidding aside, the militarization of municipal police departments in the post 9/11 era raises serious concerns dating back years — even before armored vehicles rolled through the riot-wracked streets of Ferguson, Missouri. But the 2014 Ferguson crisis was the flashpoint that prompted President Barack Obama to order Justice, Defense and Homeland Security officials to review a longstanding military equipment giveaway program.
Obama later would announce a recall of some hardware from local governments. “We’ve seen how militarized gear can sometimes give people a feeling like there’s an occupying force,” he said, “as opposed to a force that’s part of the community, that’s protecting them and serving them.”
Orting, to its credit, is keeping the Commando under wraps in a garage until city officials decide what to do with it. If they don’t give it back, they should assure the public it will be deployed only under strict circumstances, such as during a mass-shooting incident they pray never happens.
Putting cops behind steel walls could further alienate residents. Distrust and tension divided the community in the wake of an unsolved murder and other violent crimes two years ago. Citizens formed a patrol that zeroed in on young people and minorities, taking matters into their own hands out of frustration that police weren’t up to the challenge.
What Orting really needs is more cops from diverse backgrounds walking the beat, getting to know neighbors on the street — a job that didn’t get easier when voters rejected a utility tax increase in November to hire more officers.
A single surplus Vietnam-era Army truck offers little more than a false sense of security for the day a lahar sweeps down from Mount Rainier. When that happens, the city and the entire Puyallup valley will have to rely on years of preparation, and on modern fleets of armored vehicles and rescue aircraft from nearby JBLM.
Militarization works best when left to the military.
This story was originally published June 28, 2016 at 1:02 PM with the headline "Heavy armor fits JBLM, not small towns."