The M113 APC has been in the news recently as new rules from the Federal government have declared that tracked armored vehicles are no longer to be used by police departments.  Over the past two decades, the M113 armored personnel carrier has been among the surplus military items that the DOJ distributed to police departments as part of the 1033 program.  Due to concerns about the militarization of police forces, the Obama administration issued restrictions this year regarding specific pieces of military equipment currently owned by police departments.  One of the now forbidden items are “tank-like armored vehicles that move on tracks.”  The M113 is the primary vehicle that falls into this category.  As far as we know, this rule does not apply to the various MRAP vehicles that have been distributed to police.  Reaction to the new rules have been mixed, some police departments saying the tracked APCs were costly to maintain and seldom used while other departments have spoken out against the ban saying it jeopardizes office safety.

Here is a gallery of M113 vehicles in police markings.  It is interesting to note the different styles of track and drive sprocket on some of these vehicles.