Congress under pressure from left and right to 'demilitarize' police
People had long ago begun to fear the militarization of our domestic police. Perhaps the incidents in Ferguson MO have served as an eyeopener in how not to handle certain situations. Yes, action needs to be taken against opportunistic looters and thugs, but the rights of legitimate protesters also need to be respected. Granted, that can be a tricky line to walk.
Perhaps better community relations can be established by reaching out to community leaders and maintaining constant contact with the public in peaceful as well as difficult situations. The majority of the community did not condone the rioting and looting, but they were also appalled by the appearance of the police as well as by their actions when the situation heated up. There must be a better way.
From The Hill: "Groups on the left and right are uniting behind calls to end what they say is the rise of a "militarized" police force in the United States.They say the controversial police tactics seen this week in Ferguson, Mo., are not isolated to the St. Louis County police department and warn the rise of heavily armed law enforcement agencies has become an imminent threat to civil liberties.
“What we're seeing today in Ferguson is a reflection of the excessive militarization of police that has been happening in towns across America for decades,” said Kara Dansky, senior counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
The ACLU is aligned with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and groups on the right who are calling for an end to a controversial Defense Department program that supplies local police departments with surplus military equipment, such as armored tanks, machine guns, and tear gas.
According to the Defense Logistics Agency, more than $4 billion in discounted military equipment has been sold to local police departments since the 1990s.
“Why are those guns available to the police?” asked Erich Pratt, spokesman for the conservative Gun Owners of America. “We don't technically have the military operating within our borders, but they're being given the gear to basically operate in that capacity.” entire post
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