Bipartisan Bill Introduced To Reform Military Transfers To Local Police

[IDemo]

September 17, 2014

Yesterday, Reps. Hank Johnson (D-GA) and Raul Labrador (R-ID) introduced legislation to reform the Pentagon program, which transfers military equipment to law enforcement. The program has come under increased scrutiny from lawmakers after images from Ferguson, Missouri, showed law enforcement dressed like combat soldiers, using military equipment to deal with protesters. The Pentagon program has its roots in the drug war, coming to fruition in the early 90s as the U.S. government militarized its approach to drug policy. Just last week, Senators held a hearing on the issue of militarization in our law enforcement, where they critical of the Pentagon program.

Johnson and Labrador’s bill, the Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act has already received support from numerous legislators on both sides of the aisle. This rare bipartisan moment is a recognition that the increased militarization of law enforcement has to stop.

“In light of what we all saw in Ferguson, Missouri, the American people are clamoring for law enforcement to become less militarized. Grenades, drones, and tanks may belong on the battlefield; they certainly don’t have a place on U.S. streets,” said Michael Collins, Policy Manager at Drug Policy Alliance’s Office of National Affairs. “Such militarization is inextricably linked to the drug war, where swat teams and no-knock raids have become a routine part of drug arrests, even in the case of nonviolent offenders.”

http://www.theweedblog.com/bipartisan-bill-introduced-to-reform-military-transfers-to-local-police/

[Comrade Grumpy]

1. Thank you, Reps. Johnson and Labrador.

This is another one of those left-right coalition things: Drug policy, foreign policy, police militarization. They all have people on both fringes allied against the marshmallow center.

And keeping our cops from being turned into storm troopers is a worthy cause.