Obama Bans Police Use Of Military Equipment

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Thanks to President Obama, the days of America’s police departments using military tanks and weapons against protesters may be over.

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During a speech in Camden, NJ on Monday, the president banned the federal government from providing certain military equipment to police departments.  His decision to scale back Section 1033 of the National Defense Authorization Act, the policy that enabled the Defense Department to provide surplus military equipment to local police, was cheered by community leaders and jeered by the nation’s police.

Effective immediately, the government will no longer provide local law enforcement with armored vehicles, grenade launchers and bayonets.  As for items such as explosives and riot equipment, they will only be transferred to police via additional certification and assurances that the gear will be used responsibly.

Monday’s unexpected move by the president is part of a broader effort to relieve tensions between law enforcement officials and minority communities, particularly after the deaths of several black men at the hands of police in Ferguson, Baltimore and other cities.  The changes were recommended by a White House task group, which was formed after Ferguson police rolled out armored tanks and riot gear in response to protests over the 2014 death of Michael Brown.

“The idea is to make sure that we strike a balance in providing the equipment, which is appropriate and useful and important for local law enforcement agencies to keep the community safe, while at the same time putting standards in place so that there’s a clear reason for the transfer of that equipment, that there’s clear training and safety procedures in place,” White House Director of Domestic Policy Cecilia Muñoz said in a statement.

Since it went into effect in 1997, the 1033 Program has given police over $4.3 billion in gear. However, since the ban is only starting now, there is no provision to force police departments to surrender any of the equipment already in their arsenals.  In other words, although police may not get any new equipment, they will almost certainly continue to use the old equipment they already have.

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President Obama’s ban was a positive move heralded by local community leaders, who were adamant that military weapons designed for foreign combat should not be used against its own citizens for the purpose of crowd control. However, the fact remains that these military weapons have not been the real problem.  Rogue cops using their department issued handguns to kill black men under questionable circumstances has been the real problem.

In response to that problem, the president wants to require every police officer in America to wear a body camera and has even set aside $20 million to buy (a small number) of body cams for cops. However, since cops have already proven that they can (and will) disable bodycams whenever they’re doing something they don’t want recorded, the purpose has already been negated.

“We’ve seen how militarized gear can sometimes give people the feeling like there’s an occupied force, as opposed to a force that is part of that community it is protecting and serving,” Mr. Obama said, adding that military equipment can “alienate and intimidate local residents and may send the wrong message.”

“So we’re going to prohibit some equipment made for the battlefield that is not appropriate for local police departments,” Mr. Obama continued. “There’s other equipment that may be needed in certain cases, but only with proper training.”