Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid
As Meteor Blades
has reported, efforts are underway in Congress to cut back on the military donating “surplus war materials” to local law enforcement agencies.
But it won’t be easy. When some members tried this back in June, it only got 62 votes—with even House Democrats rejecting it by a 3-1 margin.
You would think that after this week's carnage in Ferguson, Missouri there would be more support from Democrats—now that the issue is in the spotlight.
But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) splashed cold water on that idea Monday, in an interview with a local Nevada TV station.
The issue is this: Whether we should we allow surplus equipment the military has to go to police departments. I say yes. We have police departments all over the country, including those in Nevada, who are desperate for more resources. And the mere fact that you have the equipment doesn’t mean that you have to use it.
We’re going to give police departments armored tanks and semi-automatic assault rifles, but we don’t expect police officers to actually
use them?
It seems to me like this Ferguson police officer was using an assault weapon to threaten protesters the other night. Couldn’t a mere revolver have sufficed?
Since 1996, the Defense Department has donated over $4 billion in military equipment to local law enforcement agencies to combat the phony “war on drugs.” After 9/11, the Department of Homeland Security has also donated grants to local government to “combat terrorism.”
The ACLU and others have complained about this for years, but the footage of Ferguson, Missouri has now brought this issue into the forefront—where it deserves to be. Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) will introduce legislation to undo the damage—and all member of Congress, especially a Democrat like Reid, needs to be at the forefront.
One of the most vocal advocates for de-militarizing the police this week has been Kentucky Senator and 2016 presidential wannabe Rand Paul. Even Reid’s Republican counterpart from Nevada, Dean Heller, has suggested that we stop making our local cops look like Rambo.
Heller said he’s inclined to support Paul’s position.
“I think we, in the Senate, ought to take a look at that and look at some of the decisions we’ve made in the past and determine whether or not they’re good for the citizenry,” Heller said.
Please, Harry Reid. Support efforts to de-militarize our police. We can’t have any more Fergusons.