In January, the Department of Defense put out a bid for 645,000 new .45 caliber combat pistols. On March 10, 2006, the order was scaled back to 50,000 and the "Joint" part was removed from the "Joint Combat Pistol" program. Wikipedia explains the development more fully.
The motivation behind the Army dropping out of the program, which would have replaced what lessons learned reports from Iraq have found to be one of the most unpopular military systems in use today, is obscure.
Supreme Court Rules Police Don't Need Warrants in Emergencies
ReplyDeletewhat do you think of this....
The case was settled law long before this ruling which Stevens rightly identified as a "flyspeck of a case".
ReplyDeleteUtah is almost unique in not allowing police to enter homes in such circumstances under its more protective state constitution. In that case, the defense attorney got sloppy and used the federal constitution rather than the state constitution to justify the suppression of evidence in that case.
The rule, that police can enter a home when there is a melee in progress is a good one. The 4th Amendment was designed to prevent searches for contraband and weapons, not interventions in violent crimes in progress of which police were aware.
Additional Joint Combat Pistol information from the House Report 109-360 - NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2006 via Thomas:
ReplyDelete"The conferees are aware the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) has a requirement for a new .45 caliber pistol, the Joint Combat Pistol (JCP) program. The conferees understand that the SOCOM requirement is under review through the Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System process, and that the Army and the Marine Corps have expressed interest in the JCP program. The conferees note that SOCOM has issued a draft request for proposals (RFP) for the procurement of these new pistols and that this draft RFP contains an addendum for a potentially large quantity procurement. The conferees are not only concerned with the potential procurement of pistols in excess of the SOCOM requirement but also concerned with the proliferation of service programs to acquire a new combat pistol. The conferees expect the Department of Defense to acquire the JCP and any other new pistol in accordance with Department acquisition regulations and full and open competition. The conferees direct the Secretary of Defense to provide a report to the congressional defense committees, no later than April 1, 2006, on the acquisition strategy for pistols. The report would include an analysis of alternatives for the JCP program and details on the Joint Combat Pistol, Close Quarter Battle, Personal Defense Weapon, and any other Department acquisition program relating to military pistols. The report would also include an evaluation of the costs of utilizing the current inventory of serviceable M1911A1 pistols still in storage and the potential option of refurbishing unserviceable M1911A1 pistols."
This appears to explain the service action here, although the conferees concerns are still unfathomable.