Cars

Behold the latest in crime fighting technology — the “Armadillo.” It’s mission: to shame evil doers into obedience using a potent blend of security cameras, heavy duty armour and sheer ugliness.

The idea is simple — police park this hulking monstrosity in pockets of high crime activity and just leave it there as a deterrent. It sticks out like a sore thumb, and if it’s parked in front of your house the whole world knows your nasty business. Despite the fact that police don’t spend much time reviewing surveillance footage, the truck has been remarkably successful. Law-abiding citizens have described the changes in their communities as like “night and day.”

Law enforcement has been leaving empty cruisers around and setting up radar gun platforms for years now, and the Armadillo seems like the natural extension of the concept. Perhaps the fleet of Armadillos will expand and take on different, recognisable forms that tie into the offence — like parking an armoured ice cream truck in front of the homes of known sexual offenders. [WSJ]