GOP Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky writes in Reason Magazine:
In a free society, citizens should be able to easily
distinguish between civilian law enforcement tasked with keeping the peace in
our communities and the armed forces tasked with protecting our country from
foreign adversaries.
Unfortunately, thanks to the federal government flooding our
neighborhoods with billions of dollars of military equipment and property over
the years, the line between peace officer and soldier of war has become
increasingly blurry.
Police officers have an incredibly difficult and often
thankless job where they lay their lives on the line every day. Without the
rule of law, a civilized society cannot exist, and our officers deserve our
gratitude. The horrific actions of a few bad actors should not erase all the
good done by the vast majority of these brave and hardworking men and women.
But as the federal government has enabled our local police
to become more and more militarized, it has placed them in greater danger by
eroding the community trust crucial to doing their jobs well.
While I respect the determination to preserve law and order,
sending in federal forces to quell civil unrest in Portland further distorts
the boundaries, results in more aggression (including pepper-spraying
and repeatedly striking a Navy veteran whose injured hand will need
surgery), and has led to reports we should never hear in a free country:
federal officials, dressed in camouflage, snatching protesters away in unmarked
vehicles.
Sending the feds into Chicago won't make the situation there
any better, either.
Nothing you'll read here excuses the actions of those who
have destroyed lives and property in a mockery of peaceful protest—actions I
have condemned. But many of us have been inspired by seeing protesters
confronting these rioters, making the difference between righteous cause and
opportunistic destruction even more stark.
Restoring lost trust is essential to reducing the tension
and returning to peace. This means stopping the federal militarization of
our local law enforcement and keeping federal agents and troops on the national
posts where they best serve our country.
According to the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), which
operates within the Department of Defense, "More than $7.4 billion worth
of property" has been transferred to
law enforcement through the Law Enforcement Support Office (LESO) program.
DLA also reveals
that "as of June 2020, there are around 8,200 federal, state and local law
enforcement agencies from 49 states and four U.S. territories participating in
the program."
Back in 2014, NPR reported the
federal government had sent out 79,288 assault rifles, 205 grenade launchers,
and 11,959 bayonets from 2006–2014.
Yahoo recently reported that
"the California Highway Patrol received what appeared to be a drone worth
$22 million in 2016. The Howell Township Police Department in New Jersey
received an MRAP [mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle] worth $865,000 in
2016. An MRAP provided to the Payne County Sheriff Office in Stillwater,
Oklahoma, cost $1.3 million."
As the Senate debates the latest National Defense
Authorization Act, I joined a bipartisan group of senators to introduce an
amendment based on my Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act, which I originally
introduced with Sen. Brian Schatz (D–Hawaii) in 2015 and have reintroduced in
each session of Congress since.
Our amendment would have limited the transfer of certain
offensive military equipment including bayonets, grenade launchers, and
weaponized drones—all without prohibiting the continued distribution of
defensive equipment, such as body armor.
It would also have ensured that communities are notified of
requests and transfers by posted notices throughout the area and on a public
website, and it would have required that a jurisdiction's governing body
approves of the transfers.
Though the Senate voted against these common-sense changes,
my standalone legislation goes even further to reform the system, and I will
keep working to advance it through Congress.
Our bipartisan approach takes seriously the idea that cops
on the beat can only do their jobs well when they are well-known by their
neighbors and trusted by their communities.
The Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act will help build
that relationship, making our citizens, police, and neighborhoods safer.
To read more CLICK HERE
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