BOSTON, Mass. (Oct. 21, 2017) – Last week, a Massachusetts joint legislative committee held a hearing on three bills that would take a first step toward limiting the impact of federal programs that militarize local police. Rep. Denise Provost (D-Middlesex) introduced House Bill 2503 (H.2503) earlier this year. Sen. Michael Barrett (D-Third Middlesex) sponsors a Senate version…
The same rules and standards that apply to surveillance technologies should also apply to the acquisition and deployment of military grade equipment by local police forces. That is why we are unveiling a new Community Control Over Police Surveillance + Militarization (CCOPS+M) model bill.
BOSTON, Mass. (May 30, 2017) – A bill introduced in the Massachusetts House would take a first step toward limiting he impact of federal programs that militarize local police. Rep. Denise Provost (D-Middlesex) introduced House Bill 2503 (H.2503) earlier this year. The legislation would prohibit law enforcement agencies from acquiring a long list of military…
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (May 2, 2017) – Last week, a California Senate committee passed a bill that would require all law enforcement agencies in the state to get local government approval before acquiring surveillance technology. Passage of the bill would take the first step toward limiting the unchecked use of surveillance technologies that violate basic privacy…
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…
States and local communities can stop federal programs that militarize local police.
SALEM, Ore. (March 5, 2017) – A bill introduced in the Oregon House would significantly limit the impact of federal programs that militarize local police. Rep. Chris Gorsek (D-Troutdale) and Rep. Carla Piluso (D-Gresham) introduced House Bill 3243 (HB3243) on March 2. The legislation would bar state and local police departments from acquiring certain types…
Some people want you to think that the solution to problems with police is to get the federal government more involved. But they’ve got things completely backwards.
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…