SWAT teams have raided the wrong house and when the home owner tried to defend himself and his family from a "gang intrusion" they shot him dead. Too much testosterone on too many SWAT teams.
While I don’t disagree with the majority of what you have to say, one must remember that police agencies (local and federal) have been using armored vehicles for many years. Upgrading to more contemporary equipment is a rational action, especially if the cost is really low.
Mr. McVey was meant as a case in point. He is not, nor will he every be, the lone exception to the rule of “peace on earth”. We have terrorists in our country, we have some really bad folks here in our own state (mostly in Omaha), and being prepared for dealing with these kinds of people and problems is a part of what law enforcement is all about.
“TSA & DHS "stop and show us your papers" check points were everywhere.” No, most likely they would not have made a difference even if they had been active agencies at the time. I’m happy sticking to my warm little airport terminal thanks, let the cops keep their checkpoints and we will keep ours.
