Kevin Johnson

USA TODAY

ORLANDO — The increasingly blurred line between civilian law enforcement operations and the military is more apparent than ever here.

In a cavernous convention center, where the nation's largest association of police chiefs is hosting its annual conference, the aisles are full of eye-popping gear — from armor to high-powered firearms — perhaps more common on the battlefield than America's streets.

Just more than two months after rioting in Ferguson, Mo., prompted a fierce debate about the militarization of police, it is clear that law enforcement's appetite for the look and feel of combat has not abated.

There are armored mobile command centers and personnel vehicles, a heavily fortified medical evacuation unit and an armor-plated mobile battering ram. Camouflage, meanwhile, is clearly the preferred design for protective vests, shields and other tactical clothing.

While the government is now re-thinking the practice of providing surplus equipment to civilian police agencies, largely because of the force displayed in Ferguson, private vendors appear more than happy to fill the void.

"Yeah, I know all of this might look intimidating,'' said Ted Pinelli, an equipment representative for AmChar Wholesale Inc., motioning to the display of assault and sniper rifles arrayed before a billboard depicting masked police officers in full raid gear. "But in today's society, sometimes, you really need to look intimidating. I don't know how or why you would dumb it down and make it look pretty just because somebody might be offended. I don't get it.

"The bad guys are getting badder,'' he said. "You need the technology to combat the bad guys.''

Among the most imposing pieces of equipment in the crowded exhibit concourses at the International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference and Exposition is a fully armored personnel carrier, capable of accommodating up to 12 in the most hostile of environments.

"I'm as busy with phone inquiries as I have ever been,'' said Jeremy Johnson, a tactical vehicle representative for The Armored Group LLC., standing before the new Batt-V.

On its own, the vehicle, which fully outfitted can run up to $300,000, appears as if dropped from a war zone to the carpeted convention floor in urban Orlando.

"Usually, when you pull one of these up, it changes the game,'' Johnson said. "They look like they look. It's designed for the worst-case scenario: an active shooter situation with casualties and where you need to get them out … These trucks have saved a lot of people.''

Yet, Johnson acknowledges that in the wake of Ferguson and even before, many prospective clients have been inquiring about more discreetly designed vehicles that look more a part of a traditional police fleet.

That concern is one of the reasons he also brought a fully armored, though lower-profile, sport utility vehicle to display for conference delegates.

"I understand the debate and I can empathize with the people who feel the way they do (about a military presence),'' he said. "It's just that I empathize more with the people who need to be protected to do their jobs.''

Yost Zakhary, president of the chiefs group, makes no apologies for the presence of such equipment in the exhibit halls or the use of it in police departments across the country.

"It's not the equipment that's the problem; the problem is the use of the equipment,'' Zakhary said, referring to the need for proper training and application.

"Without this equipment, the weapons we're facing now would make Swiss cheese out of our cars,'' he said.

Al Baker, a retired New York City Police Department lieutenant, has little time for the political considerations of maintaining a bright line between civilian law enforcement and military-type operations.

"I'm not the guy you want to talk to on this one,'' Baker said at his small exhibit booth where he is marketing armored shields in the shape of giant bat wings for use in riots or other potentially violent confrontations.

The device, which he designed from a concept taken from ancient warriors, allows the user to wield a weapon — a modern assault rifle — while maintaining the full cover of a Kevlar-coated shield.

"This whole militarization controversy is really hard for me to get my mind around,'' Baker said. "It's all fun and games for people to talk about until the trouble really hits the fan. Bottom line is that people need to be protected.''

During his time in New York, Baker said police made good use of an armored personnel carrier that the military provided from equipment left over from the Korean War.

"If military equipment is not being used, who better to use it than the police?'' he said. "What are you supposed to do? Dress up like Mickey Mouse?''