Gothamist: Rookie Cops With Machine Guns Ready for 2009!

jaycjay

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 02:07:27 -0500

"Commissioner Kelly thinks that these young men need machine guns" No, commissioner Kelly thinks that it'd be a good thing for every cop in the department to be trained on how to use the best tactical weapons available. Wow, what a crazy idea.

Rodriguez

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:38:08 -0500

We have a young, unmotivated, disrespectful and underpaid police force that cannot be trusted with a collapsible baton. Commissioner Kelly thinks that these young men need machine guns - why? cmr

HowBoutDemCowboys

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 11:21:00 -0500

New Years Lock and Load Eve with Dick Clark... good times... good times.

citizenerased

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 09:05:14 -0500

^ Because it says 'By John Del Signore' just under the article. Dead give-away.

UnrepentantFenian

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 21:24:21 -0500

Why do I get the feeling Mr. Del Signore wrote this inflammatory bit of drivel. I am terribly impressed with all the tactical experts who read Gothamist and were able to grace us with their insight.

cucarachita

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 20:04:14 -0500

What could possibly go wrong? That said, when I lived in France, there were never any mishaps with the gendarmes that walked around with their machine guns, in the subway, on the street, at the doors of department stores during Xmas season (not long after the bombs). But I suspect they're a different animal, those gendarmes, from our cops.

jaycjay

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:46:32 -0500

"The Dept of Homeland Security will pay for the training which will be budgeted as overtime just as the officers need a few bucks for the holidays." No. They're recruits at the academy; there'll be no overtime. This will just be part of their training schedule.

The Edge

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:24:08 -0500

#6- See '86 FBI Miami shootout or the '97 North Hollywood bank heist for very good reasons why officers should, at the very least, have nominal training with carbines.

The Edge

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:22:02 -0500

#6- See '86 FBI Miami shootout or the '97 North Hollywood bank heist for very good reasons why officers should, at the very least, have nominal training with carbines.

NannyState

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:20:31 -0500

Bogota Style -I like it.

JacqueMehoff

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:17:15 -0500

this is what happens when we don't have mandatory service or the draft.

CR

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:03:51 -0500

"The New York Post exclusive is a bit vague on whether the cops will be given the machine guns during the festivities" I'm glad we don't know, 'cause if we don't know, the bad guys don't know.

CR

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:00:13 -0500

"The New York Post exclusive is a bit vague on whether the cops will be given the machine guns during the festivities" I'm glad we don't know, 'cause if we don't know, the bad guys don't know.

Phineas Gage

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:32:44 -0500

I encourage any use of automatic weapons fire in Times Square, on any day, for any reason. Thin the herd. Time Square is filled with New York's (and the world's) stupidest and poorest-taste-having people. So I say let 'er rip.

JMH

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:30:02 -0500

+1 to JDS and Zodak for the Highlander jokes.

Daniel Millstone

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:26:50 -0500

As I understand it, this has to do with a federal funding boondoggle. The Dept of Homeland Security will pay for the training which will be budgeted as overtime just as the officers need a few bucks for the holidays.

Papercutninja

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:15:16 -0500

Thank you jaycjay for and actual comment rather than the usual hipster knee-jerk "Polices am bad" crap. It is an assault rifle, NOT a machine gun. The NYPD already has them, issued to their ESU cops. Essentially it is for SWAT purposes (hostage situations etc etc). It's not for shooting minorities or innocent children. It is a specialized weapon for a specialized job. It's another tool for the NYPD to be trained in. Just like they're trained to use defibrilators, handcuffs and pepper spray. They will be trained to use them JUST IN CASE THEY NEED THEM. Anytime something happens where a cop makes a mistake, everyone screams for more training. Then, whenever the cops get trained in something, everyone screams police state. You people will never be satisfied.

jaycjay

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 16:52:02 -0500

It's pretty clear from the Post article that there aren't any plans to equip this graduating class of rookie cops with these weapons. It's an effort to get more of the force trained on how to use them. They'd be used, then, in response to an incident involving "multiple terrorist attacks" similar to what happened in Mumbai. As the article says, Kelly has discussed this training for years. The end result will be that all NYPD officers will have some amount of training with M4s. That doesn't mean they'll all be carrying them; it means that if an incident calls for it they'll be at least somewhat familiar with the weapon. Calling it a "machine gun," also is just the Post trying to make it sound scary. It's essentiall an assault rifle, though more accurately a carbine. Depending on the particular setup, they may or not have full automatic ("machine gun") capability. If they do, unlike what's more accurately given that name, it's selectable. The basic M4, though, doesn't have that option: the operator can choose between firing single shots or a three-round burst.

Outter Burrougher

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 16:27:39 -0500

such a bad idea that it's almost laughable... i say almost to cover the fact that I did totally laugh

joeb

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 16:26:31 -0500

Never understood the point of machine guns in non warfare situations. How many people are you planning to need to kill? If you find a dirty nuke, are you going disarming by blasting it with bullets? It seems to be mostly about the intimidation factor.

chubbyemu

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 16:25:25 -0500

While I'm sure everything will be fine, this is in no way a good idea. It's a frightening one, in fact.

r1b2

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 16:24:58 -0500

This will make you think twice before you mouth off after receiving a summons for open containers, etc.

zodak

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 16:09:50 -0500

dick clark won't fight in times square. it's holy ground.

Qraymond

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 16:08:06 -0500

Bad idea jeans...

kswissreject

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 16:05:47 -0500

Seriously? Seems a hell of a lot more productive to have snipers above and cops with pistols on the ground. Machine guns, you try to shoot a suspect, you'll prob kill a bunch of innocent bystanders as well. Particularly with rookies handling them. Stupid!