The show of force and military- grade equipment in Ferguson, Missouri has prompted local media to investigate the equipment available to their own town.
In Auburn, police equipment is what everyone thinks they would have, according to Police Chief Paul Register. Included in their inventory for extreme situations are masks, helmets, gas, three Humvees, an ATV and a command tent.
Some of the larger items were acquired from the Department of Defense's surplus program, but no firearms have been received since 2008, Register said.
The Humvees have been used in situations, such as pulling cars out of the snow and pulling one of the large buses out of the mud during Alpha Psi Rodeo.
The ATV was a key part of a search mission for a missing person.
"We get as much benefit out of those kind of things as we do weapons, so that is the typical thing that we get from the surplus program," Register said. "Heavy equipment like that we would not normally have budgeted in our finances."
A green Hummer with a tented back is primarily used for hauling cars and the ATV. It is also one of the few vehicles that can move a police barricade the force has had since 2004, according to Captain Tommy Carswell.
"From a money standpoint, we would not be able to have this equipment if it wasn't for the federal surplus," Carswell said.
The Auburn Police Division is also building the number of body cameras that officers can have on them while on duty, according to Register.
All police cars have dashboard cameras on them, and over the last several years, more officers have been receiving individual cameras.
"They do a very good job in diffusing complaints and makes the officers feel good," Register said. "They like having the cameras because it gives us the ability to review the complaints. More than anything, it's been a help to justify what the officers have done."
Diffusing complaints, according to Register, is the alternative to using riot gear the Auburn Police Division is trained for.
Every officer goes through customer service training to learn better ways to deal with the public and resolve situations without force.
"It's about the relationship we have with our community," Register said. "We have our officers get out of the car and talk to them."
That doesn't mean the Auburn police force would be unprepared if a riot were to occur, Register said.
The Auburn Police Division is part of a countywide SWAT team.
More than 15 different law enforcement agencies are in a mutual-aid agreement to come to each other's aid if more police are necessary.
In Auburn, game days are when the city sees the most outside help.
Even during high-traffic days, such as football Saturdays, Auburn students and residents are generally well behaved, said Register.
According to Register, the national championship celebration at Toomer's Corner in 2010 is a good example of Auburn residents' mindset.
"We did not make one single arrest during that incident," Register said. "Things weren't torn up, people didn't set things on fire, people didn't steal things. It was a very orderly celebration."
Register said, much like the everyday gear a police officer carries around, the type of riot gear the station has is what the community would expect to deal with a situation of unrest.
"Most of the things we have, all of the kinds of things, we would hopefully have people just comply and move on," Register said. "Dispersal type devices is what we have."
So far, the Auburn Police Division has not had a major incident where riot gear was needed, Register said.
"I think we have enough officers to do our job," Register said. "We're funded well, we have a lot of public support, and our city officials give us the tools we need to do our job."
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