The Pentagon might take back some of the military gear it gave to police

[ksen]

http://www.vox.com/2014/8/20/604753...on-protests-1033-program-pentagon-chuck-hagel

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has the power to unilaterally suspend a program that sends surplus military equipment to local police and take back the gear, a Pentagon official told The Hill.

The 1033 program is getting more attention in recent weeks due to the police's heavy-handed tactics in Ferguson, Missouri, where demonstrators are protesting the police shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown . In the past couple of weeks, federal officials , including President Barack Obama and US Attorney General Eric Holder, have criticized the militarization of police.

Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby stated, however, that Hagel has not yet initiated a formal review of the program, and the review is necessary to ultimately dismantle the scheme. But Hagel did ask for more information.

lol, I would laugh my ass off if the Pentagon actually followed through with this. And they should since police departments all across the nation have shown over and over again they can't be trusted with this gear. The 1033 program should never have happened in the first place.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

I agree. Police departments are no place for surplus military equipment and it should be left on the battlefield where it belongs so the people you're fighting against can pick it up and use it to regain power after you've gotten bored of the war and wandered off. That's the American way.

 

[ksen]

 

[Mumbles]

It'll be about time.

I design military equipment, so I know exactly what goes into them. And it sickens me to think that the things I work on would be turned on nonviolent protesters in the US, in the hands of police that are dressed up like characters in a video game.

I mean, if you told me that there was a protest in, say, Iraq, that the military responded to like this, I'd still be disgusted, but I wouldn't be shocked. But to have police pointing weapons at protesters, in the middle of the US...

 

[Nexus]

In the past couple of weeks, federal officials, including President Barack Obama and US Attorney General Eric Holder, have criticized the militarization of police.

Obama has been increasing the budget to militarize the police and given speeches advocating it, I doubt his current criticism is sincere.

 

[Rhea]

Good. My county has one of these vehicles. Saw it in the parade. My heart sank and how gleeful they were over it.