Small-Town Police Departments Are Getting Billions In Big Military Hardware

[xchrom]

http://www.businessinsider.com/police-department-militarization-2013-7



***SNIP

Part of what's known as the "1033 Program" passed by Congress in 1997 and meant to augment police departments fighting the drug war, military gear is showing up in large numbers, and in some unlikely places, as an Associated Press investigation found.

With little oversight and a "if I don't get it, someone else will" mentality among police chiefs, the AP found some interesting (and somewhat shocking) finds:

-- Morven, Ga.: Despite having an ankle-deep creek as it's deepest body of water, the police chief got his hands on three boats, scuba gear, and rescue rafts.

-- Rising Star, Texas: With a population of 835 residents, and only one full-time police officer, this department netted more than $3.2 million in property over 14 months.

-- Bureau Count, Ill.: The sheriff — who had government-issued M14 rifles — was accused of lending some of them out to friends.

“We have concerns that the lines between the two [police and military] is starting to blur," John Chasnoff, an ACLU spokesman, told CBS St. Louis last March.


Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/police-department-militarization-2013-7#ixzz2aiQp1JWf

[cali]

1. rec and jaysus what a swindle.

one more thing to be disgusted by.

[RKP5637]

2. Very bad omen for the future of this country IMO. n/t

[madokie]

3. Man o man

All dressed up and no war to fight.
Unless of course the enemy is the citizens of these united states of America. In that case this is some scary shit.

Making a mockery of our Troops in uniform, past and present.

[Dawson Leery]

6. Certainly it is disrespectful to the armed forces.

[Lee-Lee]

4. The program can do some good

My department got 4wd trucks we used in bad weather, a few big trucks for use during floods, lots of wool blankets and cots for disaster use, some night vision scopes for surveillance, helmets for every officer to carry in the trunk, and more.

The program does help departments with limited budgets, and if they don't take it either it gets sold surplus or scrapped.

Like any other government program, you can't just take the abusers and claim they represent the whole system.

[Logical]

5. Read radley balkos new book. n-t

[eppur_se_muova]

7. Radley Balko: Rise of America's warrior cop (BBC) ...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/101669931