Atlanta Cops Roll Out SWAT APC

Atlanta’s cops need this bad boy for SWAT raids on Bubba for selling weed.


It’s no big deal, insists the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It’s just the local cops with a $500,000 APC. For you civilians, that’s Armored Personnel Carrier.

“Don’t be surprised to see an Army tank rolling down a street near you,” chides the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “The Cobb County police department has refurbished a donated Armored Personnel Carrier for officers to use in SWAT situations.”

Apparently, the cops think those on the receiving end of any SWAT operation using this military vehicle are armed to the teeth like the resistance in Iraq or maybe the Taliban in Afghanistan. It certainly is not needed for busting the average dope dealer, even one hopped up on PCP.

Equipped with thermal sensors, computerized tracking devices, night vision, tear gas launchers and other gadgets, the all-black six-wheel unit can hold up to nine SWAT officers.

It has a new engine and transmission, which will allow it to reach a speed of 60 miles per hour.

“In these times, you don’t know what you are facing,” Cobb police chief George Hatfield said. “We want the maximum safety for our officers and the public. We want to be prepared for whatever comes up. This is another tool that will allow us to be quicker and faster in our response.”

The L.A.V. 300 will also send a message to the civilians — increasingly, there is little difference between the cops and the military. In order to get the message out, the APC will be on display at Marietta’s town square, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.