Wisconsin Law Enforcement Agencies Add 32 Armored Trucks Over 4-Year Period

In the past four years alone, local law enforcement agencies in Wisconsin have acquired 32 armored vehicles from the U.S. Defense Department.

Seventeen sheriff departments and 10 police departments have obtained 24 dump truck-sized Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles that saw action in Iraq and Afghanistan. A Wisconsin Public Radio open records request with Wisconsin Emergency Management also came across 8 other armored trucks and vehicles acquired from the Department of Defense surplus equipment program.

Wisconsin American Civil Liberties Union director Chris Ahmuty said he understands that armor is sometimes needed in an active shooting situation to protect an officer or the public, but he’s wary of the proliferation of military equipment.

“Those are used because you’ve got an enemy,” said Ahmuty. “We can never let ‘protect and serve’ change into ‘Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead, the enemy is before us.’ That mindset is a shift that may be going on in some departments.”

Ahmuty said awareness of what the ACLU calls the “militarization of American policing” in one of its reports has gained traction because of the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo.

“People were kind of surprised at that because most citizens want to think of police as good guy or gal on the beat who’s there to help them. But, when instead you’ve got SWAT teams and armored vehicles and assault rifles, really what’s going on there?” said Ahmuty.

Ahmuty said the Defense Department program that offers free armored vehicles and weapons should require guidelines of use by local and state agencies before the hardware is given out.

Correction: The original version of this story erroneously listed the number of vehicles obtained by law enforcement agencies around the state as 36. The correct number is 32.