MI Sheriff Bouchard: ‘Lot of Agencies’ Less Prepared for Paris-Style Attack Due To Obama Order

Oakland County, MI Sheriff Mike Bouchard (R) stated that the recall of certain items from police departments under the recommendations of a task force created via an executive order by President Obama has made “a lot of agencies” “less prepared” for things like a Paris-style attack on Thursday’s “Fox & Friends” on the Fox News Channel.

Bouchard said, “there’s a lot of agencies that are now less prepared because of this order, and it’s rather ironic, the day he issued the actual recall [order], there was an active shooting under way in Oregon. They were responding to it. And you know, these are used not just for terrorists, but you make a great point, in America, if something like that [a Paris-style attack] is to happen, it’s not the military, and it’s not the feds that respond immediately, it’s the local police immediately, and so they really need the equipment to be able to protect people, and our message to the president was, if every day, an armored vehicle pulls up at a bank, or a grocery store, to protect money, why is it scary, or occupying, to have an armored vehicle go to protect people at the very same place that might be getting held up? And so, yes there are agencies less prepared today.”

Bouchard added, “that’s the problem with so much of this, is it’s related to perception and not reality. He doesn’t look at the reality. A tracked vehicle is no more lethal than a nontracked vehicle, but he doesn’t like the appearance, and for many parts of america, I represent major county sheriffs of America, there’s many parts of america that have desert, or have deep, deep snow. a tracked vehicle is a rescue vehicle. it’s the only way to get there. And it’s important to note, they keep calling these tanks. there’s no tank in a police department in america. these are big, safe boxes. They protect people.

He concluded that “without question,” protesters won and police lost, continuing, “Much of what’s being taken away is, again, just perception. He even banned certain kinds of camouflage because he didn’t think it looked appropriate. You know, when you have a president micromanaging police departments all across America, and what they can wear, you’ve got somebody that’s meddling in really something that’s not their affairs.”

(h/t Daily Caller)

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett