Georgia Rep. Hank Johnson proposed legislation on Thursday aimed at demilitarizing domestic police forces, amid national criticism of heavily armed cops going after protesters in Ferguson, Mo.
“Our main streets should be a place for business, families, and relaxation, not tanks and M16s,” the Democratic congressman wrote in a “Dear Colleague” letter to members of Congress. “Unfortunately … our local police are quickly beginning to resemble paramilitary forces.”
The Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act would prevent the transfer of certain military-grade equipment from the Department of Defense to local law enforcement agencies. That includes some automatic weapons, armored vehicles, armored drones, silencers and flash-bang or stun grenades.
Johnson boasted endorsements from the Friends Committee on National Legislation, American Civil Liberties Union and Defending Dissent Foundation.
“Before another small town’s police force gets a $700,000 gift from the Defense Department that it can’t maintain or manage, it behooves us to reign in the Pentagon’s 1033 program and revisit the merits of a militarized America. I hope we can work together on this important issue,” he wrote to colleagues.
Johnson will formally introduce the bill in September when Congress returns from summer recess, his office told TPM.
His cause has shown early signs of bipartisan support.
In an op-ed for TIME magazine published on Thursday, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) called police militarization a “very serious problem.”
“Washington has incentivized the militarization of local police precincts by using federal dollars to help municipal governments build what are essentially small armies—where police departments compete to acquire military gear that goes far beyond what most of Americans think of as law enforcement,” Paul wrote.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder also raised the issue on Thursday.
“At a time when we must seek to rebuild trust between law enforcement and the local community, I am deeply concerned that the deployment of military equipment and vehicles sends a conflicting message,” he said in a statement. “At my direction, Department officials have conveyed these concerns to local authorities.”
Ya think?
HE JUST WANTS THE TERRORISTS TO WIN! HE’S A SECRET MUSLIM!
How 'bout you fuckers come back early and work on it - this shit has gotten out of hand.
I think I see a non-negotiable flaw here.
Our local police and fire departments recently visited my son’s preschool during “Public-Safety Week”. For days, he kept asking why the police needed armored personnel carriers (“those big trucks with the bullet-proof tops”).
I could only tell him that they didn’t; that grownups sometimes believe foolish things out of fear; and that police would never, ever use tanks in our idyllic, affluent suburb.
I could’ve told him how the money wasted on those macho toys could be better spent keeping us safe by adequately funding police and fire pensions, or by restoring cuts to public after-school programs, or even by expanding Medicaid.
But if the grown adults we elect can’t understand that, then a preschooler probably can’t either…