CovOps
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| Subject: Cool: Some senators want to stop police from getting military-grade equipment or weapons Wed Jun 03, 2020 5:32 am | |
| Brian Schatz and Rand Paul have worked together before trying to end the military-to-police equipment pipeline.
A small group of lawmakers is working on legislation to slow down the militarization of local police departments, in the wake of nationwide uprisings against police violence. Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz (D) announced Monday that he would be introducing an amendment in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to end the 1033 Program, which enables the US military to sell outdated equipment, like armored vehicles and bayonets, to local law enforcement agencies. The nearly 30-year-old program is a chronic thorn in the side of police reform activists. And though Barack Obama restricted the program, it was reinvigorated under President Donald Trump, who has taken pains over the last week to stress to local leaders and law enforcement that the George Floyd protests must be forcibly suppressed. “It is clear that many police departments are being outfitted as if they are going to war, and it is not working in terms of maintaining the peace,” Schatz told the New York Times. “This is not the only thing we need to do, but as our country sees these images on television that remind us of some countries far, far away, it’s time to recalibrate this program. Just because the Department of Defense has excess weaponry doesn’t mean it will be put to good use.” Though it’s not clear how much support Schatz’s proposal will find across the aisle, at least one Republican got on board: Sen. Rand Paul. The Kentucky libertarian, who has long called for demilitarizing the police and reining in the US military, has teamed up in the past with Schatz to try to end the program. Paul’s chief strategist, Doug Stafford, showed support for Schatz’s proposal on Twitter. “We’ve been doing this one [for] years. Happy to help,” he tweeted.
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/6/2/21277981/senators-police-military-equipment-weapons
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