Good News

[Content Note: Police militarization.]

Police militarization is something we've discussed around here quite a bit over the last year, after seeing the streets of towns across the country turned into what looked like war zones as a response to protests of police violence. As you may recall, last October, Amnesty International released a report on police militarization which found, among other things, that: "The use of heavy-duty riot gear and military-grade weapons and equipment to police largely peaceful demonstrations intimidates protesters who are practicing their right to peaceful assembly and can actually lead to an escalation in violence. Equipping officers in a manner more appropriate for a battlefield may put them in the mindset that confrontation and conflict is inevitable rather than possible, escalating tensions between protesters and police."

Yesterday, President Obama announced a ban on the "federal provision of some types of military-style equipment to local police departments and sharply restricted the availability of others." Good. Just a start. But good.

He took the action after a task force he created in January decided that police departments should be barred from using federal funds to acquire items that include tracked armored vehicles, the highest-caliber firearms and ammunition, and camouflage uniforms. The ban is part of a series of steps the president has made to try to build trust between law enforcement organizations and the citizens they are charged with protecting.

...Mr. Obama also moved to crack down on overly aggressive police tactics with the announcement of new equipment restrictions.

"We've seen how militarized gear can sometimes give people a feeling like there's an occupying force, as opposed to a force that's part of the community that's protecting them and serving them," Mr. Obama said, adding that such equipment can "alienate and intimidate" communities and "send the wrong message."

"So we're going to prohibit some equipment made for the battlefield that is not appropriate for local police departments," Mr. Obama said.

It remains to be seen, of course, whether this will have any meaningful practical effect. Let us hope that this conversation and this new policy is merely a starting point, and not received as a final and/or comprehensive solution.