| From: | Avenger <Avenger@*******.DEMON.CO.UK> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: Operation |
| Date: | Sat, 29 Aug 1998 00:07:39 +0100 |
100000@***.freenet.tlh.fl.us>, David Foster <fixer@*******.TLH.FL.US>
writes
>On Fri, 28 Aug 1998, Avenger wrote:
>
><snip comments about plan I don't remember>
>->count the assorted nutters there to report alien kidnappings, Elvis
>->sightings and escaped pigs in their cellar.
>->
>->I always find it amusing that people seem to consider Police Stations in
>->the same way as Military Research Stations.
>
> Some people haven't seen one. but they're not all glass and paper
>either.
No they're not all paper and glass but they are hardly fortresses.
There is a tremendous amount of people travelling in and out. Not to
mention the multitude of felons that will be dragged in for one crime or
another. Some people may not have seen one, which indicates that these
people do not have access to a TV set (quite possible).
>->very helpful provided you keep out of the way. For those that happen to
>->have police officers as friends, just ask them. You might be surprised
>->at what they have to say.
>
> That's today. In 62 years, when guns are carried by 50% (at
>least) of the population,
And this is a mistake that is frequently made. Guns are carried (or
owned) by more than that amount already, at least according to 1996 FBI
statistics they are.
>and drive-bys are more frequent than anyone
>wants to think about,
Drive by shootings invariably involve one gang hitting members of
another gang, or gang members (and thugs) hitting someone they perceive
as a threat or having insulted them in some fashion. Driving past a
crowd of civilians and pumping rounds into them might be cool for a
sociopath, but gangs have far more important things to do than excite
the local law enforcement into military manoeuvres.
> I'm certain the outside of the station house will be
>very "beefed" to defelect anything short of an assault cannon or missile
>(Barrier rating 7-8, essentially).
See below.
1
>On the inside? Things might be as lax
>as they are now, but there will be minor improvements (like more
>bullet-proof glass between the entrance seargent
Why? he doesn't need it. He's surrounded by armed officers. What will
"more" bullet proof glass achieve? If there is a desk sergeant, and he
is in a reception booth with a sheet of armoured glass (bullet proof)
then why would he/she need "more".
>and the people who just
>walk in, watcher spirits in the evidence room if the place has even ONE
>magician, etc.) It shouldn't be a cake walk, but it won't be like hitting
>Lone Star HQ in Austin, either.
Oh yeah, magic. Yeah... <sigh>
<bites tongue>
Right. Yes, I agree, up to a point. The one thing that must always be
remembered is that no matter how beleaguered the Police are - that
station house is FOR the PEOPLE. OK, if the doors are locked, and gun
ports trained at every perp on the pavement, then nobody gets in, nobody
gets out, and you have Precinct 13 all over the shop.
Precinct houses in or on the borders of the barrens are likely to be
barricaded and well defended. They will also have some protection on
the entrance, such as armoured glass, bars on the windows etc.
Downtown? High class residential areas? I don't flipping well think
so. Having an armoured fortress anywhere does not instil faith or
confidence in the public mind.
The other thing that needs to be remembered is that Lone Star haven't
custom built their precinct and station houses - they inherited them
from the *sacked* Seattle police department.
If the authorities have to gear up and defend against a war - what hope
has the public got - and why bother having them?
Lone Star in Seattle is a PR exersize. They contract for the work,
which means they have to earn the contract. Or Seattle PD, Knight
Errant, whomever - WILL replace them. Building sodding great bunkers in
the city to stop some pissant ganger with a zip gun is not good PR.
Putting cops on the street, quickly /is/. Seriously, how many of your
gangs are armed to the teeth with military weaponry? None of mine are,
and to my knowledge none of those detailed in FASA material have such
items.
In the end, regardless of how much Lone Star might favour the AAA rated
sectors, they are there to protect and serve. The people vote for the
government (city government in this case). If either are seen to be
failing the people - guess what? They change their vote... Why do you
think politics is all about image now - stuff that into the media frenzy
of Shadowrun, and it's a whole new ball game.
On magic... You might play a magic rich game where every Lone Star and
Police Department precinct has strong magical support, but this is not
supported in FASA canon, so you'll excuse me if I ignore that
particular comment.
No, Police Stations are /not/ damp cardboard boxes that everyone and
their grandmother can rip off. But, they are filled with arrested
criminals, policemen, civilian support staff, repair crews, and a whole
gamut of other types. People walk into Police stations to deliver
things, report crimes, give evidence, identify stolen goods, hand in
licence and insurance information and millions of other reasons - some
of them extremely strange.
For an instance of extremely busy and well protected, yet essentially
open, check out the Hoover Building in Washington DC. No armour on
those walls, nope, not an ounce. But, the place is well defended, very
well visited, and extremely busy. People moving in and out all day
long, and not all of them FBI operatives.
The British tried closing down Police Stations and turning them into
fortresses - a closed entrance area with armoured glass. Press a button
to call the desk officer and state your business. This was all to
protect the officers inside from attacks, abuse and terrorist problems.
It didn't work - it isolated the Police from the people who needed them,
the same as patrol cars with no beat cops did the same thing. It became
"us and them" very quickly. Now, crimes might be reported by phone, but
nothing else, and in the main crimes are not as frequently reported as
they once were - leading to an interesting situation in the UK. That
situation is getting worse. In 62 years I have no idea what is likely
to happen, but I do know that things move slowly in this business, and
that they are beginning to change back to how they were. So, in 20
years I expect to see open stations with coppers on the beat again.
Things go in circles.
62 years in some things, like electronics is a long, long time. But for
humanity, legislation and organisations, it is a blink of an eye.
To arbitrarily announce that the outside of a precinct house would
withstand an assault cannon, shows a strangely naive view of building
construction. I very much doubt that precinct houses will be wearing
tank armour in any age. Most stations and precincts are based in city
buildings. It would look very odd indeed to have a brick battleship in
between McDonalds and Woolworths don't you think? Or next to the glory
and grace of city hall?
Some, and only some, those on the edges and within combat zones are
going to be armoured and restricted. Those within the civilised zones?
Nah, they'll be ordinary police stations, with perhaps a beefed
security. However, as is the theme of Shadowrun, just because the
security is good don't mean it's invulnerable to a good plan.
The main problem with increased security comes down to one simple
factor. Time. The tighter the security the longer it takes to get in
and out. Anyone who has fought to either get or keep a contract will be
familiar with time. Lone Star have a contract to honour, within that
contract (IIRC) is a response time average. With tightened security
they cannot guarantee response times. Villains run amok, and the police
are still working their way through the checkpoints, barricades and
security - just to make sure they are who they say they are.
All, of course, in my dismally failed humble opinion.
Humble? How can I be humble? I'm far too perfect to need it. <g>
--
Avenger
http://www.shalako.demon.co.uk/index.htm
(Newbies Survival Guide to Stk & SR stuff)
http://freespace.virgin.net/p.siems/index.htm
(Shadowrun Culture Shock, and UK Survival Guide)
