by Travis Mateer

I am VERY excited to read that $23,548 dollars of the $62,922 dollar grant, called the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant, will go to outfit SWAT with night vision goggles. From the link (emphasis mine):

The award of $62,922 came through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG). Missoula Police Chief Jaeson White presented to the Missoula City Council on Monday evening about what the money will buy.

This includes $17,550 for the second year of the department’s online warrant program used in conjunction with Missoula’s municipal and district courts, White explained. It allows warrants to be processed electronically.

A second year of the department’s subscription to online training and records will also be expensed.

“That was something we implemented a year ago that consolidated all of our training records from three historic systems into one,” White said. “(It) allows us to provide current, modern, updated training to our officers every day in briefing through this national service.”

The remaining $23,548 will be for night vision systems for the department’s SWAT team.

Ah, that’s right, these aren’t just see-in-the-dark goggles. No, they are night vision SYSTEMS. That must account for the cost.

Part of my excitement comes from that SWAT incident at the end of August that was totally not a training, but an unfounded something or other. I bet, if law enforcement had this night vision SYSTEM, the unfounded-ness of the incident could have been founded quicker.

Another thing to be excited about is the prospect of city police sharing their new toy system with the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office. Why? Because they might be having a hard time seeing how to respond to the weirdness of 5 potential homicides.

Huh? Is there a possibility that FIVE homicides happened in Clinton on Sunday? To clarify what might have happened, here is some perspective from a Missoulian reporter:

I sent an email yesterday to the person who gets paid to disseminate information, but as of this writing, nada. I also drove to Clinton yesterday and stopped at a few places to ascertain what the rumor mill knows, and the rumor mill doesn’t know shit.

Very odd.

Another thing to make note of is the lack of additional context to that officer involved shooting near the airport on August 27th. But I think that happened during the day time, so no need for night vision there.

What else could night vision be good for? Let’s say you’re at an evening gathering, could wearing this night vision system allow one to see potential threats to one’s political future? Or would that be a crystal ball?

I’m no fortune teller, but Thursday morning I predict you won’t need your visual faculties to get the information I’ll be dispensing, just some functioning ears and a radio dial.

Thanks for reading!