Tanks a Lot

“We’re going to have our own tank.”

Kendall Lane, Mayor of Keene, New Hampshire

Photo from Lemco

The town of Keene, New Hampshire (population 22,420) nearly has it all—everything a small town could want to protect its citizens: fire department, law enforcement and a tank. A tank? Yep, a tank. Or, rather, an “armored personnel vehicle,” which is built like a tank and can be used as one.

The city council received a nearly $386,000 federal grant to purchase the tank and was ready to move full-steam ahead with the purchase when the citizens of Keene put on the brakes. Five hundred signed a petition to block the purchase, and 100 packed the February council meeting to voice their concerns. At the top of their list is the fact that the town has little to be concerned about—crime is nearly nonexistent. And residents object to the idea of a “free” tank, pointing out that taxpayers like themselves are paying for it.

The town council is reviewing the issue and will make a final decision next month. But members don’t expect to change their minds. Either way, protecting the residents in Keene could turn out to be a “tankless” job.

Read more → Radley Balko, Police ‘tank’ purchase riles New Hampshire town, Huffington Post, February 16, 2012.