Scenes of heavily armed police forces are becoming more common across the country. New research from the Washington Post finds that this militarization results in more individuals killed each year by law enforcement. The study found that twice as many people are more likely to die in counties that receive an influx in military equipment. Additional research conducted in 2016 also found that police are more likely to be attacked when they are militarized, which raises the question of how beneficial it is to pad police forces with military-grade weaponry.
The transformation of U.S. police agencies into militarized forces is primarily rooted in the 1996 National Defense Authorization Act signed by President Bill Clinton. The bill led to the formation of the 1033 Program, which allowed the defense secretary to provide local law enforcement with the Department of Defense’s excess military equipment at no cost. Since the bill’s passing, military equipment given to police agencies has skyrocketed.
Between 2006 and 2014, police forces received military equipment over $1.5 billion, including 6,000 mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles and 79,288 assault rifles. A study from NPR shows that armored vehicles are the most expensive category of equipment transferred under the 1033 program, totaling up to $699 million. And in addition to a bevy of equipment, military-style police raids have also increased in recent years.
source: alternet.org
Militarized police is a bold depiction of war on us. It's a reminder that people from the government are ready to kill us if we stand for the rights that they want to violate. Militarized cops showed up in North Dakota and Ferguson. People demanded justice, people demanded to keep their water clean and not to destroy their cemeteries. It was too much for our authorities. They sent militarized police units. It was gloomy grin of power. Police tactics should be revised. Current police tactics are totally inappropriate and dangerous. Somehow innocent people are scared to interact with police. Is it okay?