On the way to work yesterday, I was passed by a massive (and very new-looking) Cambridge Police armored vehicle.
Aside from obvious questions about whether it needs to exist at all, or whether it makes sense to drive it around in public so soon after the Ferguson situation, I have one suggestion for the city of Cambridge: change the paint job! The vehicle is painted dark green (forest camouflage?) and sports the same black-and-gray American flag insignias and understated lettering that special forces soldiers wear.
The whole thing looks extremely military–not police.
Why not paint the vehicle in bright, friendly police colors? It wouldn’t be any less effective at, say, driving into an armed hostage crisis. And it would send a strong message to the police that it’s not OK for neighborhood officers to play combat dress-up games.