Bob CollinsThe security show is in the spotlight in Milwaukee because of some pushback to the sight of cops toting assault rifles at Miller Park, the home of the Milwaukee Brewers.
“It’s kind of a sign of the times,” a cop said to one fan, according to Jim Stingl of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Is it?
This is the first season the police have carried M4 rifles.
Even now, the officers are attracting attention. Some baseball fans scowled as they walked by. “Really?” some said, suggesting it was overkill. Others gave the officers a thumbs up. “You don’t want to mess with him,” one guy said.
“Is it necessary to have a machine gun?” said Cooper, of Pleasant Prairie. “I never thought I’d see one here.”
“I think it’s way over the top. How much firepower do you need?” said Chuck Ulrich of Kenosha.
Jason Hernandez of Whitefish Bay said this reminds him of the police you see in Europe. He called the extra security terrific.
“I’m anti-gun, but I think this is the greatest,” he said. “Ten years from now, this will be commonplace. Maybe five.”
It’s an escalation for sure in a league that hasn’t had any problems with terrorists and mass shootings. The metal detectors, which were installed just a few years ago to great consternation, the bomb-sniffing dogs, the police with their service weapons, and tons of security cameras have been enough.
So far at Target Field, there are no cops with assault rifles.
