LOS ANGELES (May 30, 2016) – Dedicated activists in Los Angeles forced the end to federal militarization of law enforcement on a hyper-local level, demonstrating the power of a bottom up approach when confronting federal power. After 18 months of pressure and activism, the Labor/Community Strategy Center reached an agreement with the Los Angeles Unified…
Despite growing awareness and even public outrage in the wake of unrest in Ferguson, the federal government continues to equip state and local police departments with military weapons. According to a new report by Open the Books, the feds transferred $2.2 billion worth of military gear to state and local agencies through Federal Program 1033…
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (Jan. 29, 2016) – A bill filed in the Illinois Senate would prohibit state and local law enforcement agencies from obtaining certain types of military hardware from the federal government, and would require public notice before they acquire authorized equipment. Passage of this legislation would represent a big step toward stopping the federal militarization of…
CONCORD, N.H. (Dec. 14, 2015) – A bill prefiled in the New Hampshire House would prohibit state and local law enforcement agencies from obtaining most types of military hardware, thereby rejecting federal militarization of police officers. Rep. J.R. Hoell and seven other representatives have prefiled House Bill 1402 (HB1402). The legislation would prohibit state and…
BOSTON, Mass. (Dec. 7, 2015) – An important Massachusetts committee held a hearing this week about a proposal that would drastically limit the impact of federal programs that facilitate the militarization of local police. House Bill 2144 (H.2144) was introduced on March 11 by Rep. Mary Keefe (D-Worcester) and 13 co-sponsors. The legislation would prohibit…
HELENA, Mont. (Oct. 1, 2015) – Today, a law that will heavily diminish the impact of federal programs militarizing local police in Montana went into effect. Introduced by Rep. Nicholas Schwaderer (R-Superior), House Bill 330 (HB330) bans state or local law enforcement from receiving significant classes of military equipment from the Pentagon’s “1033 Program.” It…
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Sept. 11, 2015) – A California bill that would stop transfers of some battlefield-ready military equipment to state or local law enforcement agencies was given final approval in the state legislature yesterday and now heads to the governor’s desk. Introduced by Asm. Nora Campos (D-San Jose), Assembly Bill 36 (AB36) would unconditionally ban law…
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (July 20, 2015) – A California bill that would create a mechanism to stop transfers of military equipment to state or local law enforcement agencies cleared its final committee hurdle last and will now move on to the Senate floor when it returns from a summer recess in August. Introduced by Asm. Nora Campos…