Berkeley council blasts cops for buying armored car

http://www.insidebayarea.com/bay-area-news/ci_20953583/berkeley-council-blasts-cops-buying-armored-car

The Berkeley City Council chastised the Police Department this week for submitting a federal grant to acquire a $169,000 armored vehicle it will share with UC Berkeley and Albany police to defend officers in shootouts and rescue operations.

The council voted unanimously on Tuesday to request more information from the city manager on the Lenco Bearcat armored car's funding and purpose.

Council members were not happy, saying they were kept in the dark about a large acquisition that bears a resemblance to military equipment.

Celaya said it would not be used for crowd control during campus demonstrations, "but if people are firing guns, we might consider it."