Connecticut Town Approves “Free” Military Vehicle For Cops That Will Cost $54,000 in Asset Forfeiture Funds to Modify, Because Police Say Mass Shootings Are Up

As reader Timothy M. points
out, the following story from The Hartford Courant has a
lot to upset Reason readers. The Courant reports on a vote

in Newington, Connecticut:

The town council has approved a bid waiver that will allow the
police department to modify a mine- and ambush-proof military
vehicle that they acquired from a government surplus program.

Police plan to send the six-wheeled BAE Caiman, which was
designed to carry troops into combat in Afghanistan, to a
specialized firm for $54,000 worth of modifications. Changes to the
vehicle include removal of its firing ports and installation of
running lights and a radio system. The council voted unanimously
earlier this month to allow the work to proceed without
bidding.

The town’s police chief said he was pleased the vote was
unanimous. He called
the vehicle “free” despite the $54,000 price tag for (no-bid) modifications.
That’s going to be paid for through the asset forfeiture
fund. Why does Newtington need this military vehicle? Mass

shootings have been up, the chief says. Connecticut, home to
some of the strictest gun control laws in the country, passed a new
set of them this year, laws so draconian and unenforcably they were

mostly ignored, leaving politicians
shocked. Oh, and Connecticut is home to cops like
this. And state’s attorneys who protect bad cops like
this. Oh, and a court in Connecticut recently
ruled police can arrest you for being too physically close to
someone being arrested.