“Somebody has to be the first person to say ‘Why are we doing this? Today, crime has fallen to its lowest levels in a generation, the wars have wound down, and despite current fears, domestic terrorist attacks arent happening. Police departments, though, are adding more firepower and military gear than ever, night-vision equipment, grenade launchers, armored cars, mine-resistant trucks and aircraft. And the free surplus program remains a favorite of many police chiefs who say they could otherwise not afford such equipment. Police have received tens of thousands of machine guns; nearly 200,000 ammunition magazines that carry 100 rounds of M-16 ammunition, allowing officers to fire continuously for three times longer than normal. Twenty-two states obtained equipment to detect buried land mines. The police in 38 states have received hundreds of silencers, which soldiers use to muffle gunfire during raids and sniper attacks. What need does law enforcement have for silencers? Some officials are reconsidering their eagerness to take the gear. When asked about the need for military equipment the answer is always the same: It protects police officers. “Who’s going to be against that? You’re against the police coming home safe at night?” he said. “But you can always present a worst-case scenario and use that as a framework to get anything.” The Pentagon program does not push equipment onto local police departments. The pace of transfers depends on how much unneeded equipment the military has, and how much the police request. Police chiefs say their choice is often easy: Ask for free equipment that would otherwise be scrapped.
Posted on: Thu, 12 Jun 2014 05:39:36 +0000
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