Militarizing Police Forces

The Washington Times says that police forces in the US are militarizing at an alarming rate. This presumably disturbs some people, who feel that the militarization will somehow be used against them. To be more specific, militarization means in this case the use of military equipment, such as armored personnel carriers, which are outmoded equipment from the US Department of Defense.
I expect my local police department to protect my private property. I pay a real estate tax for that purpose. I do not own a liquor store, or convenience store, but I expect my local police to protect those property rights as well.
We have recently seen rioting and looting in Ferguson, MO, and this has not been a unique situation in our recent history. If our police force in Lubbock, TX anticipates a possibility of riots in Lubbock,with the destruction and stealing of private property, I want our police force to have a cheap armored personnel carrier, if that will help to minimize loss of property.
It is possible that some time in the distant future, there may be a popular physical revolt against an autocratic government, such as the colonies originally had against the English government. However, that is only a remote possibility. Loss of property from riots is a clear and present danger. Physical revolt against government is not. We need to address the problem, which is with us now.