Credit: Photo via North Coast Chronicle

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  • Photo via Chronicle Telegram

Two armored military vehicles were gifted to the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office and the Lorain Police Department this week through the Ohio LESO Program, which provides surplus military property to law enforcement at no cost.

The Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles weigh about 50,000 pounds a piece and are equipped to withstand heavy gunfire, explosive attacks, and warzone environments which makes us wonder why, exactly, they are needed to help protect the citizens of Lorain County (unless we missed the memo about IEDs buried along Oberlin Avenue).

Capt. Roger Watkins of the Lorain County Police told the Chronicle Telegram recently the vehicles will be used “at crime scenes such as stand-offs, shootings and whenever a person is barricaded inside a building.”

He added that another objective is intimidation and, granted, they’ve got that covered. But the acquisition does seem a bit excessive, unless, of course, the vehicles could be rented to neighboring counties for, say, a little tailgating.

This article appears in Apr 30 – May 6, 2014.

Alaina Nutile is the Web Editor who oversees all digital content and social media initiatives for Cleveland Scene Magazine and Detroit Metro Times. Before joining the staff in June 2013, she interned at Business Insider in New York City, and at La Hora in Quito, Ecuador. Alaina is a graduate of Kalamazoo College in Michigan, where she double majored in English and Spanish. Her interests include Japanese food, Breaking Bad, and career development advising.

10 replies on “Lorain County Law Enforcement Receive Armored Military Vehicles”

  2. Knowing a few things about these vehicles they will not be seeing much at maybe five miles to the gallon. They will not be seeing much of anything I assure you.

  3. Reminds me of the big old truck Elliott Ness used in “The Untouchables” . Also, they can handle the potholes in the streets better than a cruiser.
    Bad guys better look out!

  4. I find it really inefficient to try to upkeep these vehicles when the sheriffs department asks us taxpayers for more allowances every time its time to vote. Another thing is why is there a need to ” intimidate” the public with something meant and built for war unless the law enforcement is expecting civil unrest following actions by our local and/or state officials. How about auctioning the vehicles and funding much needed infrastructure repair and maintenance.

  5. This is completely unnecessary and proves that the police are trying to enforce fear on the very people who pay them for protection of property and social control. However, social control does not mean in any way perpetuating a police state in which we are in fear of leaving our houses because some asshole is on a power trip in a tank. A lot of police officers are not mature enough to handle even a gun much less something like this. Great job, America.

  6. this is a much cheaper way to knock down the 70 houses scheduled for demolition…..they were donated. and these things aren’t going to need upkeep because they wont ware out for shit. its got a big CAT diesel. those things go past 500,000. i doubt they will get that much use.

  7. Why do they need these things? Are they expecting the Taliban to attack?

    Or, more likely, are they needed to protect us from those members of the public who might decide to protest again and commit the crime of illegal camping?

  8. When the shit hits the fan in Cleveland and the glow in the sky can be seen from Ontario…will they put them on flatbeds and shlep them east on I-90 ?

    Chuckles the Clown

  9. If there is anything that happens a lot in Lorain, it’s heavy gunfire, explosive attacks, and warzone environments!!!

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