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LEO + Municipal HMMWV Mods

readyman

Member
523
7
18
Location
Elk Grove Village, Illinois
Well it looks like the floodgates have opened and every local municipal department is getting HMMWV's.
LEO's, FD's, water+sewer departments, what a deal!.

Here on the SS HMMWV forum we civilians had to beg borrow and steal to get ($)HMMWV's and the repair parts. Even as recent... civ's NOT being able to buy parts anymore from AMGeneral! But rolling HMMWV's and a steady stream of repair parts will be coming to your local municipality to mod/militarize them even more.(I'll leave the mil-APC my PD got out of this for a while)

I suppose after the benign questions on how to run strobes on 24V and how to prep CARC:roll: for a Fire Engine Red Imron gloss paint job. The questions on what mount/cradle is compatible with a M2HB and the HMMWV turret weapons platform will be next. "Oh yeah, we'll only use it on bad guys." :-|

I liked the SS HMMWV forum better when we were painstakingly/$ restoring OD on some pretty scarce(what a few hundred?) legally owned HMMWV's in civilian hands. Rather than helping along this new crowd to mod them beyond restoration, and then to use them for ?

Isn't there someplace else that specializes in this?
 
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Killer_Junior

Member
36
2
8
Location
Black Hills, SD
Maybe you should be spending your time lobbying your congressmen and senators to allow more sale of parts and vehicles to civilians, rather than ragging on those who are trying to utilize gov't surplus to serve the public.

Why are we dividing ourselves up? It's a good way to lose the HMV hobby once and for all. How many public-safety-type guys (police, fire,etc.) might drive a surplus MV at work, decide it's cool and then buy one for themselves?

Or, would you rather they look at the average HMV owner as "weird, militia member, gun nut, etc."?

Talk of "us vs. them" and "bastardizing with mods" is more division we don't need.


If the current Demil situation bugs you, do something constructive about it.
 
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814
16
18
Location
Universal City, TX
I would rather have them go to a local PD or FD than get cut up. And maybe even save some taxpayer money in the process by them not having to buy a new vehicle for the same uses. And militarizing a PD? Wow. I don't think that is the intention of the program.

I also don't see a problem with SS helping out with info for these newly acquired vehicles, as we should help any PD or FD that requests info. I am glad that these MVs can continue to serve the public in a new form.
 

readyman

Member
523
7
18
Location
Elk Grove Village, Illinois
Use them against civilians? I missed something here. I thought they were going to civil service.
Yeah, I lifted this from another post.
Bob H wrote: "Maybe I shouldn't mention Oakland County, Mi Sheriff dept and their uparmored humvees complete with turret............"

As a member of that Dept. I can tell you that the up armored with turret is used for barricaded gunman situations and other SWAT calls involving armed suspects. Also our SWAT Team is often called by neighboring Counties for SWAT assistance due to being outfitted with the proper equipment.
 

readyman

Member
523
7
18
Location
Elk Grove Village, Illinois
Restoration vs bastardization, depends what SS and members are here for I guess. I'm just a purist. AMGeneral has had a long history of keeping HMMWV's out of civilian hands thru Demil and legislation. Then recently no parts to civilians. It was all about the profit $ to them, nobody gonna change that.


Maybe you should be spending your time lobbying your congressmen and senators to allow more sale of parts and vehicles to civilians, rather than ragging on those who are trying to utilize gov't surplus to serve the public.

Why are we dividing ourselves up? It's a good way to lose the HMV hobby once and for all. How many public-safety-type guys (police, fire,etc.) might drive a surplus MV at work, decide it's cool and then buy one for themselves?

Or, would you rather they look at the average HMV owner as "weird, militia member, gun nut, etc."?

Talk of "us vs. them" and "bastardizing with mods" is more division we don't need.


If the current Demil situation bugs you, do something constructive about it.
 

91W350

Well-known member
4,414
57
48
Location
Salina, Kansas
So, we have an armed suspect, he/she is refusing to surrender. Using an up armored Humvee to respond, instead of risking an officer's life, is using the equipment against civilians. I would think this would be using it to benefit the civilian, not using it against them.

The local PD has a Humvee, they use it for high water and deep snow. A vehicle that can reach civilians when they call for help. A Crown Vic with chains is no match for 18" of snow. I do not see how that is being used against the civilians.

If a medic unit cannot get there, but the Humvee can transport a crew in and all back out, I fail to see how that is being used against anybody.

The local sheriff bought a deuce, when New Cambria flooded and stranded a few people, the water kept rising and they needed evacuated. Ft. Riley sent two deuce down and hauled the people out. It did not take the sheriff a year to procure a deuce. I fail to see how they were used against the civilians.

I obviously am missing something here.
 

readyman

Member
523
7
18
Location
Elk Grove Village, Illinois
And I am in complete agreement with everything you said.
But up until now, on SS, in the HMMWV forum, we were saving and restoring for posterity not providing helpful hints for hacking 'em up.(For civil use of course)
So, we have an armed suspect, he/she is refusing to surrender. Using an up armored Humvee to respond, instead of risking an officer's life, is using the equipment against civilians. I would think this would be using it to benefit the civilian, not using it against them.

The local PD has a Humvee, they use it for high water and deep snow. A vehicle that can reach civilians when they call for help. A Crown Vic with chains is no match for 18" of snow. I do not see how that is being used against the civilians.

If a medic unit cannot get there, but the Humvee can transport a crew in and all back out, I fail to see how that is being used against anybody.

The local sheriff bought a deuce, when New Cambria flooded and stranded a few people, the water kept rising and they needed evacuated. Ft. Riley sent two deuce down and hauled the people out. It did not take the sheriff a year to procure a deuce. I fail to see how they were used against the civilians.

I obviously am missing something here.
 

KsM715

Well-known member
5,149
142
63
Location
St George Ks
Just be glad they are "modding" them now and not completely cutting them up for new beer cans. The longer they stay in one piece (reasonably) there is a better chanceof getthem released to the public later on.

I for one am all for helping the local PD's and FD's save money save a few taxpayer dollars


Every type of MV is getting hacked up and modded to some degree by our own members here. My self included
 

NDT

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
10,498
6,631
113
Location
Camp Wood/LC, TX
Readyman, you are looking at this all wrong. First of all, the alternative for all these HMWWV's is the crusher. Do you prefer that? Think of all the first responders that will cut their teeth on these vehicles. I was one of those, City Civil Defense, yes we painted them white, but I learned a lot and the experience (30 years ago with M715's) set me up for a lifetime hobby that I really enjoy.
 

readyman

Member
523
7
18
Location
Elk Grove Village, Illinois
Yeah and when it's used to help out that's great, and I'm for it 100%.

Here's a real story where it get's 'out of hand' for me. At a static display I was at a LEO ambled over to 'shoot the breeze'. One of those "Our dept got one of those(look's at my HMMWV)." conversations started.
Where do we get one of those Weapons Mount Turrets like you have?
I said Ebay... whatcha need one of those for?
Well we got this (It was a serious mass casualty military weapons system) and needed to mount it on the roof our new HMMWV.

So, we have an armed suspect, he/she is refusing to surrender. Using an up armored Humvee to respond, instead of risking an officer's life, is using the equipment against civilians. I would think this would be using it to benefit the civilian, not using it against them.

The local PD has a Humvee, they use it for high water and deep snow. A vehicle that can reach civilians when they call for help. A Crown Vic with chains is no match for 18" of snow. I do not see how that is being used against the civilians.

If a medic unit cannot get there, but the Humvee can transport a crew in and all back out, I fail to see how that is being used against anybody.

The local sheriff bought a deuce, when New Cambria flooded and stranded a few people, the water kept rising and they needed evacuated. Ft. Riley sent two deuce down and hauled the people out. It did not take the sheriff a year to procure a deuce. I fail to see how they were used against the civilians.

I obviously am missing something here.
 

Bob H

Well-known member
3,143
161
63
Location
Huron National Forest, Michigan USA
Yea I have minor concerns about overzelous LEO's, with a nervous trigger finger behind armor shielding.
Now in this post 9/11 world with terrorists seeking to attack us in our back yard, I would have greater concerns if the law enforcement did not have access to an uparmored Humvee and a Bradley.

With their lack of speed and comfort, along with higher maintenence requirements per mile, you can be sure they will stick to driving the Crown Vic's, Chargers, Tahoes & new Caprices unless something hits the fan
 

caliber1

New member
995
8
0
Location
Elcho, Wisconsin
I also am thinking along the lines that hopefully, after a time they will become available to the public sector. Might be wishful thinking, but who knows?
 

caliber1

New member
995
8
0
Location
Elcho, Wisconsin
Keep dreaming.. All the LEO program stuff has to get turned back in to the Govt once the dept is done with it.
LALALALA, I'm not listening to you.................just kidding. Thought I read that somewhere.

If it weren't for a dream, I wouldn't own a Deuce now brother.:driver:Not sure I would buy a HMMWV or not, would be nice to have the option though.
 

TedG

Well-known member
1,133
39
48
Location
MI USA
I hear you Greg on this subject. BTW, I wish the new users of these LEO hmmwv's would read the manuals (-10,-24) use the search function and google to find anwers so I don't have to read what they are going to do to these hmmwv's! lol
 

RangerBob

Member
699
11
18
Location
NM/NH/AK
I drove through a tiny little town last month, maybe 500 peeps between downtown (where the stop sign was) and the 'burbs. The police dept had maybe 3 humvs, a 5ton, and a deuce If I remember correctly (will have to check the pictures I took). My first thought was 'what the heck, are they expecting riots in the sticks?'.

Regarding how they might hack them up, I see it as no different than bobbing a deuce, etc.

Regarding the AM General tag, as far as I know their wishes for the product they've sold do not have the force of law. I'm sure that is just to reduce liability.
 

readyman

Member
523
7
18
Location
Elk Grove Village, Illinois
I talked with a cousin this week who worked(comms) for another Chicagoland suburb municipality who got in a 5T 6X6, 2- APC's and HMMWV's, his supervisor said "You're seeing things you're not supposed to see." So I'm with you in the WTF highlighted stuff below.
I drove through a tiny little town last month, maybe 500 peeps between downtown (where the stop sign was) and the 'burbs. The police dept had maybe 3 humvs, a 5ton, and a deuce If I remember correctly (will have to check the pictures I took). My first thought was 'what the heck, are they expecting riots in the sticks?'.

Regarding how they might hack them up, I see it as no different than bobbing a deuce, etc.

Regarding the AM General tag, as far as I know their wishes for the product they've sold do not have the force of law. I'm sure that is just to reduce liability.
 

depdog1

New member
16
1
0
Location
MI
Readyman, You've uncovered the secret plot to slowly convert all the HMMWVs into fire trucks and Crown Vic's!
 
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