Anyone besides me disturbed by the militarization of police? On other forums this discussion has recently broken down to Left-Right division due to President Obama's recent comments on the subject. Specifically in reference to Ferguson and Baltimore. However, I've been disturbed by the trend for far longer. The pictures of Bostonians cowering in their houses as soldiers police rode armored vehicles around the city after the Marathon bombing was more disturbing to me than the terrorist action which precipitated the panic.
How long before cities or a state declares martial law after a terrorist act? For our own good, of course!
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-...n-militarized-gear-for-police-may-mean-little
When riots erupted last fall on the streets of Ferguson, Mo., police in riot gear fanned out armed with assault rifles and armored vehicles made for the battlefield.
Analysts said at the time it was just another symptom of the continued militarization of local police forces.
This week, the White House announced a series of steps intended to address the kind of policing issues brought to light by the violence in Ferguson and later in Baltimore. One of those steps bans police from obtaining some military-style equipment — including tracked armored vehicles, weaponized aircraft and high-caliber weapons — from the U.S. government.
President Obama said the militarization can sometimes make residents feel like there is "an occupying force" in their neighborhood.
"It can alienate and intimidate local residents, and send the wrong message," Obama said in Camden, N.J., a city that has been beset by violent crime in recent years. "So we're going to prohibit some equipment made for the battlefield that is not appropriate for local police departments."
However, an NPR analysis found that the White House ban may have little impact on the ground.
The Pentagon is the largest government source of military-style equipment to police, distributing or selling it to departments across the country.
The federal government does not have a centralized means of tracking exactly how many weapons it gives or sells to police through multiple programs, according to administration officials. But one of the largest such programs does keep detailed records.
That Defense Department program, known as "1033," gives police forces equipment the Pentagon no longer has use for. We looked at the equipment distributed to local police agencies from January 2006 to March 2015, using data released by the Defense Logistics Agency.
An analysis of that data showed the vast majority of the military-style equipment distributed by 1033 would still be available to local agencies. The banned equipment represented a minuscule portion of equipment already in the hands of police.
The data also showed that:
— The distribution of firearms .50-caliber or higher is now banned. But the 1033 program didn't distribute a single such weapon to local authorities during the time period.
— All 84,258 rifles — including assault types such as M16s and battle types such as M14s — that were distributed to police departments would still be made available to local agencies. These rifles fall below the .50-caliber threshold.
— "Tracked armored vehicles" are now banned. But very few of 1033's mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles (or MRAPs) distributed to local agencies had tracks. In fact, nearly 87 percent of them have wheels.
— The new rules also prohibit "weaponized aircraft." But of the aircraft listed in the data, none was specifically listed as having weapons. Ninety-seven percent of helicopters were listed as utility, observation, trainer, medevac or search and rescue — the other 3 percent were simply listed as "aircraft, rotary wing."
Seventy percent of airplanes were listed as cargo, utility or flight. The others were simply listed as "aircraft, fixed wing."
— 6,635 bayonets and 175 grenade launchers were handed out from 2006 through March 2015. All bayonets and grenade launchers are now prohibited.
The government is trying to figure out which police departments got these types of banned equipment. A footnote in the new White House initiative states that it's still being determined whether those law enforcement agencies should give up the equipment........
How long before cities or a state declares martial law after a terrorist act? For our own good, of course!
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-...n-militarized-gear-for-police-may-mean-little
When riots erupted last fall on the streets of Ferguson, Mo., police in riot gear fanned out armed with assault rifles and armored vehicles made for the battlefield.
Analysts said at the time it was just another symptom of the continued militarization of local police forces.
This week, the White House announced a series of steps intended to address the kind of policing issues brought to light by the violence in Ferguson and later in Baltimore. One of those steps bans police from obtaining some military-style equipment — including tracked armored vehicles, weaponized aircraft and high-caliber weapons — from the U.S. government.
President Obama said the militarization can sometimes make residents feel like there is "an occupying force" in their neighborhood.
"It can alienate and intimidate local residents, and send the wrong message," Obama said in Camden, N.J., a city that has been beset by violent crime in recent years. "So we're going to prohibit some equipment made for the battlefield that is not appropriate for local police departments."
However, an NPR analysis found that the White House ban may have little impact on the ground.
The Pentagon is the largest government source of military-style equipment to police, distributing or selling it to departments across the country.
The federal government does not have a centralized means of tracking exactly how many weapons it gives or sells to police through multiple programs, according to administration officials. But one of the largest such programs does keep detailed records.
That Defense Department program, known as "1033," gives police forces equipment the Pentagon no longer has use for. We looked at the equipment distributed to local police agencies from January 2006 to March 2015, using data released by the Defense Logistics Agency.
An analysis of that data showed the vast majority of the military-style equipment distributed by 1033 would still be available to local agencies. The banned equipment represented a minuscule portion of equipment already in the hands of police.
The data also showed that:
— The distribution of firearms .50-caliber or higher is now banned. But the 1033 program didn't distribute a single such weapon to local authorities during the time period.
— All 84,258 rifles — including assault types such as M16s and battle types such as M14s — that were distributed to police departments would still be made available to local agencies. These rifles fall below the .50-caliber threshold.
— "Tracked armored vehicles" are now banned. But very few of 1033's mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles (or MRAPs) distributed to local agencies had tracks. In fact, nearly 87 percent of them have wheels.
— The new rules also prohibit "weaponized aircraft." But of the aircraft listed in the data, none was specifically listed as having weapons. Ninety-seven percent of helicopters were listed as utility, observation, trainer, medevac or search and rescue — the other 3 percent were simply listed as "aircraft, rotary wing."
Seventy percent of airplanes were listed as cargo, utility or flight. The others were simply listed as "aircraft, fixed wing."
— 6,635 bayonets and 175 grenade launchers were handed out from 2006 through March 2015. All bayonets and grenade launchers are now prohibited.
The government is trying to figure out which police departments got these types of banned equipment. A footnote in the new White House initiative states that it's still being determined whether those law enforcement agencies should give up the equipment........
