The Pentagon Is Offering Free Military Hardware To Every Police Department In The US

Business Insider ^ | 12/5/2011 | Robert Johnson

[Just4Him]

The U.S. military has some of the most advanced killing equipment in the world that allows it to invade almost wherever it likes at will. We produce so much military equipment that inventories of military robots, M-16 assault rifles, helicopters, armored vehicles, and grenade launchers eventually start to pile up and it turns out a lot of these weapons are going straight to American police forces to be used against US citizens. Benjamin Carlson at The Daily reports on a little known endeavor called the "1033 Program" that gave more than $500 million of military gear to U.S. police forces in 2011 alone. 1033 was passed by Congress in 1997 to help law-enforcement fight terrorism and drugs, but despite a 40-year low in violent crime, police are snapping up hardware like never before. While this year's staggering take topped the charts, next year's orders are up 400 percent over the same period.

[JrsyJack]

There has been an effort to militarize local police departments that goes back well before Obama. It really took off under Clinton, and God only knows what all was handed out in the wake of 9/11, but it was a lot.

The war on drugs has also been a major contributor to the para-militarization of police. Assault on a crack houses is a perfect reason for why a town of 3,000 needs a 25 member tactical response team armed with full auto weapons, Kevlar vests, armored vehicles and ninja style balaclava.

For the most part all many of these teams seem to do is show up, kill the family dog, harass or kill the homeowner who they've tried to drag out of bed at 2:AM after entering unannounced into his home, then dismiss it all as an unfortunate mistake...an "isolated incident."

[rabscuttle385]

Libertarian ping! Click here to get added or here to be removed or post a message here.

[OneWingedShark]

>‘to be used against American citizens’? Why do I feel like I don’t have a dog in this hunt?

Because, in this case, you’re the fox.

[gogogodzilla]

And I am the newly elected police commissioner of the large, enlightened city of Gogogodzillaville (population: in the trillions).

Of course, being enlightened, we have granted our intestinal microflora the right to vote, so our population reflects that.

And I need more than you. Just think of how out of hand things could get if just 1% of my city’s population decided to joint the OWS movement and protest the 1%...

:-P

[spodefly]

I am beginning to REALLY hate ANYONE with a “Government Issued “Badge””!

"Welcome to the party, Pal!"

[gogogodzilla]

Obama recently signed EO’s that allow him to seize control of all roads, waterways, rail roads, telecom infrastructure, the air traffic control system, water works, power companies, pipelines, etc., pretty much everything necessary to bring the entire country to a screeching halt at the flip of a switch.

That probably won't work for Texas, as it has it's very own, separate power grid... unlike the rest of America, which relies on just two power grids for the other 47 contiguous states. Plus, it has enought natural energy sources to power itself without imports.

So if Obama wanted to do that, he'd actually have to send personnel into Texas to flip that switch... which the Texans would probably resist, considering they also have their own *STATE* military force (not US guard or reserve, but actual state military forces).

[yup2394871293]

Reason: The Militarization of Police is More Than Just Weapons and Tactics

[Chode]

UP...

[Iron Munro]

"It is a back door tactic to circumvent the intent of the Posse Comitatus Act."

An excellent point.

It's not only SWAT teams that bring military power to bear on the civilian population.

The ATF, FBI and other alphabet federal agencies have ready access to tanks and other military hardware.

Think about them using Bradley fighting vehicles, M1A1 Abrams tanks tanks and active duty Army soldiers against civilians at the Branch Davidian massacre in Waco.

Clark tanks used in Waco siege

"According to a report by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the list of military personnel and equipment used at Waco included: 15 active-duty military personnel, 13 Texas National Guard personnel, nine Bradley fighting vehicles, five combat-engineer vehicles, one tank-retrieval vehicle and two M1A1 Abrams tanks. Additionally, Fort Hood reportedly was used for much of the training for the bloody attack on the Davidians and their children."

"Based on the fact that military equipment from Fort Hood was used in the siege and that training was provided there, say critics, it is clear the commanding officer of the 1st Cavalry had direct knowledge of the attack and, more likely than not, was involved in the tactical planning.

"West Point graduate Joseph Mehrten Jr. tells Insight, "Clark had to have knowledge about the plan because there is no way anyone could have gotten combat vehicles off that base without his OK. The M1A1 Abrams armor is classified 'Secret,' and maybe even 'Top Secret,' and if it was deployed as muscle for something like Waco there would have been National Firearms Act weapons issues. Each of these M1A1 Abrams vehicles is armed with a 125-millimeter cannon, a 50-caliber machine gun and two 30-caliber machine guns, which are all very heavily controlled items, requiring controls much like a chain of legal custody. It is of critical importance that such vehicles could not have been moved for use at Waco without Clark's knowledge."

[SuperLuminal]

"While I agree that we are turning our policemen into soldiers, which is a very bad idea, I didn’t see anything other than normal crowd control tactics used against the OWS clowns. "

Yep! But the hundreds of SWATiska invasions of the homes of absolutely innocent citizens' in the middle of the night during the past decade that have resulted in dead senior citizens, dogs, miscarriages, and surprised men & women defending their family certainly have been a product of the fascist mind-set within governments at all levels.

There has never been a moral or Constitutionally legal reason for the conversion of local gendarmes to the equivalent of the 30's German SS.

The primary reason is that, unable to eliminate the 2nd amendment, as government gets bigger it needs to begin preparations to defend itself in case the serfs finally try to jump out of the "pot of boiling water".

In addition, as part of their long-term strategy, our rulers have been implementing a process of disarmament, chickification, and faggotization of the Nation's military.

[DTogo]

At least we’ll know where the “armory” is. :)

Well said, doubt they get much training or range time with the Pentagon swag, let alone what's on their hip.

[TigersEye]

I hope our town gets a Blackhawk helicopter. This is a tourist town and they never have gotten a handle on the pedestrians just doing whatever they want to. They make a mess of summer traffic here.

[Nowhere Man]

I’ve been saying for years the second amendment is a joke.

We are only “allowed” to own 100 year old technology and only the small stuff...but the cops get whatever they want. THAT IS NOT A WELL REGULATED MILITIA YOU IDIOTS.

I know, I was eating lunch in my cart where a local police car was parked next to me. I saw a CAR-15 in the car. There is a side of me where maybe there should be no SWAT teams and police should only be armed with a revolver, a shotgun and a 1970's era walkie-talkie. I am a firm believer that if there are gun control laws (which I DO NOT support of course), they apply to ALL, if citizens cannot own those weapons, then the ban applies to the police and the military too.

[Altariel]

If they are offering free military hardware, they should first offer it to non-government employed Americans.

[Chode]

i know where ours is...

[takenoprisoner]

OWS union supported. Police are unionized. Maybe that was why?

[Dead Corpse]

Shiny. Let’s be bad guys...

[DTogo]

Someday I might ask a local LEO if they’ve been offered anything.

[Chode]

20 years ago i knew em all... now, not so much

[Thermalseeker]

I didn’t bookmark it, but a complete list with links was posted on a thread about 3 days ago here on FR. A quick search should take you right to it. Shocking to say the least. It makes the Patriot Act seem pale in comparison. I was left with the impression that the Feds are preparing for massive civil unrest.