Michigan police big and small defend use of military gear

[corkhead]

When you think “military gear” and local police, you may think body armor and Humvees, rifles and binoculars.

But definitely not snowshoes.

In the wake of the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., last August, angry residents faced police armed with military weapons and armored vehicles, creating a semi-military standoff that drew international attention and much criticism. And almost immediately, the U.S. Defense Department program to transfer surplus gear to local law enforcement agencies stirred renewed controversy upon the first release of data in the weeks after Ferguson.

Indeed, a number of Michigan departments have taken advantage of the program to secure mine-resistant vehicles (17 different departments snatched one in 2013 or 2014) and more than 2,900 rifles (M14 and M16) since 1995, according to the most recent quarterly report from the Defense Logistics Agency program.

Article here: http://bridgemi.com/2015/04/michigan-police-big-and-small-defend-use-of-military-gear-2/

searchable database here:
http://bridgemi.com/2015/04/military-donations-to-local-police/

Thetford Township, north of Flint, has a Humvee for each of its two full-time officers. (The department also has three part-timers.) Thetford has received more than $1 million in free military gear since 2012. The chief says it’s all being put to smart use.

TO SERVE (the military industrial complex) AND PROTECT (the oligarchy)

[libdem4life]

1. Spot on. Disgusting and not fit for a democracy.

[msongs]

2. like 6 year olds with guns, except they are adults who kill for fun nt