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Obama bans supply of military-style equipments to local police forces

Tuesday, May 19th 2015 - 10:03 UTC
Full article 4 comments
In Ferguson and in Baltimore protests turned violent, but the sight of police dressed in camouflage and riot gear dealing with protests provoked criticism. In Ferguson and in Baltimore protests turned violent, but the sight of police dressed in camouflage and riot gear dealing with protests provoked criticism.
The study said there was a “substantial risk of misusing or overusing” gear like tracked armored vehicles, and their presence could undermine trust in police. The study said there was a “substantial risk of misusing or overusing” gear like tracked armored vehicles, and their presence could undermine trust in police.

President Barack Obama has banned the US government from giving certain kinds of military-style equipment to local police forces. The announcement follows criticism that police were too heavy handed in dealing with protests in Ferguson, Missouri, that turned violent last summer.

 This means armored vehicles on tracks, camouflage uniforms and grenade launchers will no longer be given out.

Tensions between police and African-American communities are strained. A series of fatal shootings by police have increased mistrust and sparked protests across the US.

In Ferguson and in Baltimore, those protests turned violent, with looting and arson. But the sight of police dressed in camouflage and riot gear dealing with protests provoked a storm of criticism.

The White House wants police to retain equipment they need to maintain public order. But a review showed five federal agencies spent 18bn dollars on programs that gave them 92,442 small arms, 44,275 night-vision devices, 5,235 Humvees, 617 mine-resistant vehicles and 616 aircraft.

The study said there was a “substantial risk of misusing or overusing” gear like tracked armored vehicles, and their presence could undermine trust in police. According to the latest decision, implements to be banned include: armored vehicles that run on a tracked system instead of wheels; armed aircraft, ships or vehicles; firearms or ammunition of .50-calibre or higher; grenade launchers; bayonets and camouflage uniforms.

Those still allowed include: airplanes, helicopters and drones; wheeled armored vehicles; wheeled tactical vehicles, such as Humvees and 5-ton trucks; command and control vehicles; explosives and pyrotechnics plus riot helmets, shields and extra-large batons.

Categories: Politics, United States.

Top Comments

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  • Rufus

    Call me old fashioned, but I for one can't see the need for equipping police officers with weapon calibres that are nearer to anti-materiel weaponry than antipersonnel ones.

    There is one oddity on the list though, a larger baton will often (as counter-intuitive as it sounds) cause less damage while subduing a violent offender (i.e. not abusing it/them), principally because a smaller lighter one is capable of causing damage while not actually immediately stopping the offender.

    May 19th, 2015 - 04:12 pm 0
  • CabezaDura2

    “ but I for one can't see the need for equipping police officers with weapon calibres that are nearer to anti-materiel weaponry than antipersonnel ones.”

    Give it another decade and you will see the Mexican drug war spill and spread into the US

    May 20th, 2015 - 12:59 am 0
  • Captain Poppy

    It already has in the border states......Arizona, New Mexico, Texas....just not to the level in Mexico.

    May 20th, 2015 - 10:40 am 0
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