In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I talk about police militarization.
Last week, I got an email from the Department of Defense. It was a response to an article I wrote for the Tenth Amendment Center on an Oregon bill to help limit militarization of state and local police. Susan Lowe in the public affairs office of the Defense Logistics Agency took issue with my characterization of mine resistant armored vehicles (MRAPS) as “essentially unarmed tanks.” She called my description “misleading.”
So, why did the DoD bother to write me? I can’t say for sure, but I suspect it has to do with the general backlash against militarized police and the fact that a lot of people have realized, “Hey, it might not be a good idea to give Barney Fife an armored truck and a grenade launcher.”
In this episode I talk about my response to the letter from the DoD, and more generally about the problems with police militarization.
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SHOW NOTES AND LINKS
The email and my full response at the Tenth Amendment Center
Police Militarization Program a Federally-Sponsored Gunshow that Never Ends
Peace Officer: From Protect and Serve to Command and Control (Film Review)
