Post by LadyBlue on Jan 25, 2013 0:35:57 GMT -5
Police in one Iowa city could soon be buying their own assault rifles to carry in squad cars to ensure they aren't outgunned by criminals in the wake of several high-profile shootings involving semi-automatic AR-15s, FoxNews.com has learned.
Half of the 50-member force in Marion, Iowa, will take part in the upgrade, paying for the $2,000 guns in installments deducted from their paychecks, according to Police Chief Harry Daugherty. He said the proposal, expected to be approved by the city’s seven-member City Council late Thursday, will mean initial responders will have enough firepower to deal with heavily armed suspects. Currently, only members of Marion’s 12-member SWAT team carry AR-15s.
“We can’t wait for SWAT to get there,” Daugherty told FoxNews.com. “We have to do something and, at this point, the chances of the assailant having more firepower [than responding officers] is greater than vice versa. I want them to at least be on the same playing field when we’re going into these types of situations.”
www.foxnews.com/us/2013/01/24/iowa-police-department-seeks-to-arm-officers-with-semi-automatic-ar-15s/
Half of the 50-member force in Marion, Iowa, will take part in the upgrade, paying for the $2,000 guns in installments deducted from their paychecks, according to Police Chief Harry Daugherty. He said the proposal, expected to be approved by the city’s seven-member City Council late Thursday, will mean initial responders will have enough firepower to deal with heavily armed suspects. Currently, only members of Marion’s 12-member SWAT team carry AR-15s.
“We can’t wait for SWAT to get there,” Daugherty told FoxNews.com. “We have to do something and, at this point, the chances of the assailant having more firepower [than responding officers] is greater than vice versa. I want them to at least be on the same playing field when we’re going into these types of situations.”
www.foxnews.com/us/2013/01/24/iowa-police-department-seeks-to-arm-officers-with-semi-automatic-ar-15s/
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