[954Stealth]

One freezing day last December in the tiny town of Palestine, Ark., a young man climbed into the police department’s Humvee, turned it on, and drove off on a joy ride.


“It never crossed my mind” that anyone would do that, Palestine Police Chief Stanley Barnes said Wednesday of the incident. The Humvee, which the town of fewer than 700 people got for free through a controversial Pentagon program that gives old military equipment to local police departments, doesn’t have keys. But it’s easy to look up how to start one.

The possibility that the 5,000-pound Humvee might be stolen was so far from Barnes’ mind that it took a week before anyone on the small force noticed it was missing from the police station’s parking lot.

Once Barnes noticed it was gone, he sprang into action.

“We just do what police officers do — we find out who done it,” Barnes said. “People talk.”

A hunter reported seeing the vehicle, which was emblazoned with the police department’s logo, in the woods a county over. The thief had driven into a tree and completely wrecked it. Barnes sent a truck over to pick up the Humvee and tow it back to the station.

The police department now uses the massive wreck for parts for its other Humvee, which it also obtained from the Department of Defense Excess Property Program (DOD 1033) to help fight crime in the small town.

As odd as it may seem that a hulking armored personnel carrier could go missing from a police department, it’s not that uncommon an occurrence.

read the rest here: http://news.yahoo.com/how-does-a-pol...025942542.html
(you'll know why when you read the last paragraph)

[PINeely]

Town of only 700 people with two Humvees in their police department?

[954Stealth]

Originally Posted by PINeely

Town of only 700 people with two Humvees in their police department?

I'm going to sign up and see if I can get a free Humvee too

[spencers]

"we find out who done it"

/facepalm

[squishy]

Originally Posted by spencers

"we find out who done it"

/facepalm

I lol'd at that part.

Speaks volumes, really.

[954Stealth]

Did you click the link? It's not the only thing they've lost lol

[JasonCSU]

Originally Posted by 954Stealth

Did you click the link? It's not the only thing they've lost lol

Wow. OK, I can see how an unguarded Humvee that doesn't require a key to run could be easily stolen. How do all of the weapons go missing though?

[PINeely]

Originally Posted by JasonCSU

Wow. OK, I can see how an unguarded Humvee that doesn't require a key to run could be easily stolen. How do all of the weapons go missing though?

They get left in old cruisers, left at crime scenes, etc. Most frequently the officer leaves it on top of his car or on the trunk and drives off with it there. Happens way more often than you would think but they don't like to talk about it for obvious reasons.

[Maestro]

This stuff is not being stolen by some joe off the street. I would bet it is sitting in some police officer home. Since the police department most time do not pay for this stuff it shows up off the books and many times there is no record of the police every having ownership of the equipment. You do not hear about police issued equipment going missing only the stuff that was giving to them free from the Federal government, these people are taking this stuff home.

[P1]

No pic of the wrecked Humvee? Disappointing...