How much military-style equipment does the SFPD really need, and for what?

It's been quite a while since the San Francisco Police Department has had to deal with a highly armed militia or gang of robbers and kidnappers heavily barricaded in a second-floor room and refusing to surrender. I'm not sure it's happened even once in the 40 years I've been a reporter in this city.

But if that were ever to be a problem, the SFPD is ready: The department has a Lenco BearCat with a Patriot 3 Liberator Ramp System. That's a mine-resistant armed vehicle that can carry 12 fully equipped officers and includes an 11-foot battering ram and a special tactical ramp that can lift a cadre of cops up to a second story to mount a massive assault. [...]

Among the other items on the department inventory:

A CTS 4340 OC Liquid Barricade shell that can be fired from what amounts to a mortar; it's designed to penetrate a window or wall and excrete "irritant agents." [...]

A Powder Barricade that does much the same thing.

Flash-bang grenades, which are, the cops say, an explosive device that produces a blinding flash of light and a sudden, loud noise intended to temporarily stun, distract, and disperse people and it is thrown by hand or projected.

A bunch of spy robots:

IRobot FirstLook is a throwable, rugged, and expandable robot that provides immediate situational awareness, performs persistent observation, and investigates dangerous and hazardous material while keeping its operator out of harm's way. [...] The robot climbs small obstacles, overcomes curbs, turns in place and self-rights when flipped over. [...] Recon Robotics Recon Scout ThrowBot: Throwable micro-robot platform that enables operators to obtain instantaneous video and audio reconnaissance within indoor or outdoor environments. [...]

And there are very few, and very vague, restrictions on how they can use it. They can, in essence, use the gear anytime and anyway they want (for example, to "serve a warrant"), and if they use up all the shells and projectiles they can just go buy more.

Previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously.