[News] White House to Reauthorize Military Equipment for Police

[Anti-Imperialist News]

http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/White-House-to-Reauthorize-Military-Equipment-for-Police-20160722-0010.html 



  White House to Reauthorize Military Equipment for Police

22 July 2016

The Obama White House is set to authorize police agencies to once again 
acquire military equipment, a move that is sure to be met with heavy 
criticism from activists seeking greater accountability from police in 
light of regular police killings of Black men.

Reuters reported Thursday that the U.S. government will revisit a 2015 
ban on police forces getting riot gear, armored vehicles and other 
military-grade equipment from the U.S. armed forces.

The use of military gear by police agencies was criticized by supporters 
of the Black Lives Matter movement and other critics of police impunity 
and brutality as being part of a broader militarization of police, which 
was seen as a factor in the mistreatment of demonstrators and U.S. 
residents.

In response to the public outcry, the White House issued a ban in May 
2015 on the transfer of some equipment from the military to police.

However, in light of recent killings of police, President Barack Obama 
agreed to review each banned item, two police organization directors 
told Reuters.

Jim Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police, and Bill 
Johnson, executive director of the National Association of Police 
Organizations, met with Obama along with eight other police chiefs at 
the White House on July 11, three days after a shooter targeted and 
killed five police officers in Dallas.

At that meeting, law enforcement leaders urged Obama to reinstate 
military equipment such as helmets, grenade launchers and tracked 
armored vehicles.

Pictures of police in riot gear and driving armored vehicles toward 
peaceful protesters sparked a national debate that drew attention to a 
program used by the U.S. military to unload its excess equipment on 
local police.

One of the demands of Black Lives Matter activists is for the 
demilitarization of police.

Despite months of peaceful protest, there has been very little progress 
on the issue of police brutality and the frequent shootings of Black 
people by police.

The decision to allow for even greater militarization of police is sure 
to provoke the ire of many activists, who have been forced to see 
political leaders not only ignore their demands but, rather, take 
regressive decisions.

Military-grade riot gear and armored vehicles continue to be a regular 
sight during protests against police brutality, and the latter have 
become a staple in SWAT teams across the country.

Police claim they need the military-grade equipment to enhance officers' 
safety and their ability to respond to violent riots and dangerous 
hostage situations.

A White House official said the administration regularly reviews what 
military equipment can be transferred to police and that current rules 
ensure police get “the tools that they need to protect themselves and 
their communities while at the same time providing the level of 
accountability that should go along with the provision of federal 
equipment.”

At Obama's request, White House chief legal counsel Neil Eggleston will 
review the ban, Pasco and Johnson said.

Under the 2015 executive order, the federal government may no longer 
transfer such equipment. Local police are not banned from purchasing it 
on the private market, but most departments cannot afford that on their 
own, said Pasco.

-- 
Freedom Archives 522 Valencia Street San Francisco, CA 94110 415 
863.9977 www.freedomarchives.org
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