[Lazamataz]

Interesting.

I have mixed feelings.

I despise the militarization of local police....

....HOWEVER, I know enough about Obama to know that this is a hideously devious and conniving jaded political move, not an effort to make America a better place.

He wants Federal police, and *then*, Katie-bar-the-door. All those A-10 Warthogs will be transferred to Federal police. Artillery, Predator drones, satellite resources, M1A3 Abrams tanks, you name it.

[mfish13]

Obama wants to let the thugs run wild.

[RatRipper]

Spot on with all of if Laz. Taken in context, this is an ominous move.

[pepsi_junkie]

If you ever work with DHS you discover that their primary purpose is to distribute pork around the country. They fund tons of small grants to first responders, a fire truck here, some flashlights there, an armored assault vehicle over yonder. Having worked with small town first reponders, they often have people whose only job is to write grant petitions and they ask for all sorts of crazy stuff because "why not?". That and the civil forfeiture cash which the police get to keep have resulted in cops having lots of high end swat stuff they could never afford if the taxpayers of their tiny hamlets were paying.

Is this a good thing? Well, federal funding of unnecessary offensive capability to small town police forces seems to me to be a textbook case of waste, whatever your take on the stat of law enforcement mindset.

[RedHeeler]

Good grief. The heavy steps are already done. There is no going back.

[Gaffer]

He’s fearing the potential that County Sheriffs, Local Police and County Police in rural areas will get that equipment. He much prefers to equip his own “civilian defense forces as well funded and well equipped as DoD.”

[tanknetter]

There are some interesting things about the details here.

For instance “no APCs” means TRACKED APCs. Like M113s. wheeled APCs like MRAPs are still ok for transfer.

M113s are pretty utilitarian, have capabilities that in many cases make them
superior to MRAPs for things like disaster areas.

I see this as just like the Assault Weapon Ban. They’re going for the “ugly” stuff that scares people. Like APCs that just happen to look like tanks. Not doing anything based on actual capabilities.

[Ken H]

Where does the constitution grant to Congress or the Executive the authority to equip local police in the first place?

If your answer is that does not grant such a power, then how in the world is ending or curtailing such action unconstitutional?

[RIghtwardHo]

Never ever thought I’d agree with O’Dimwit but ... excellent.

Militarizing the police is giving the enforcement arm of the government the ability to easily subdue Patriots.

I guess this one falls in the “give a monkey a typewriter” category.

[armydawg505]

A better title for this article would be “Obama combats police.”

[logi_cal869]

...limiting supply of military-style gear

Akin to turning off the water after the dam broke...

[SaraJohnson]

Might be the first time he’s every done anything right. : )

[JimRed]

He may have been clued in that many police forces and sheriffs’ departments will be among the resistance rather than the oppressors.

[factoryrat]

Too late, mission accomplished. The obama regime has succeded in vilifying civilian police forces, and the animosity may be irreconcilable. Obama said himself that he wants a domestic force that is just as powerful as the military. Well, he, along with his lackeys, are well on their way to making that happen. This latest decree is to let the current civilian police for know that the feds are going to let them twist in the wind, after giving them a bunch of military toys to play with.

It's open season on the police, just the way obama and his communist ilk want it. The communist regime needs to clear any opposition to their new way.