I agree that the US cops made the right choice. A few lightly armed cops (they certainly had their side arms, maybe a shotgun or semi-auto AR) are no match for 10 highly armed people, possibly soldiers, who are backed by one or two HUMVEE mounted 50s.
I see two practical partial solutions. Of course, the ideal would be the US military patrolling the border (maybe elements of the National Guard and Reserves- who better for real Homeland Security), but we all know the chances of that:banghead:
One potential solution is to arm the cops. Most of us decry the "militarization" of the police, but in these border cities and counties it makes sense. If they may be facing Mexican troops or paramilitary types, they need military weapons. A specialized SWAT team with full-auto ARs, and a couple well trained guys on police sniper rifles might have been able to take these guys on (primarily using the snipers, backed/defended by other team members on their ARs). At minimum make sure each cop in this region has a full auto M14/M1A, FAL, AR/M16, AK or similar in the trunk of the car.
A better solution (probably in conjunction with the above) is to militarize and enlarge the Border Patrol. In many other countries they recognize that the Border Police are their first line of defense. Take Israel for instance, yes they are police with police training and arrest powers, but they are also basically a part of the Armed Forces (though administratively they are a police agency) with the training and armament of a light infantry or at least MP unit (and organization, unit structure, and rank structure of a military unit). We already use a similar model with our Coast Guard- they are a police agency under the Department of Homeland Security (formerly under the Treasury Department) with many law enforcement duties and training, but they are a branch of the military with military training and organization and they can be placed under the Navy during times of war or crisis. We basically need the Border Patrol to be a land based Coast Guard- part military/part law enforcement, with all the military armament and training they need. They don't exist to arrest US citizens, they exist to protect and defend our borders.
. maybe we should kill the bext SOB's that pull a stunt like this and see who they are.
