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Teen behind hundreds of swatting attacks pleads guilty to federal charges

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242 points LinuxBender | 2 comments | 18 Nov 24 00:39 UTC | HN request time: 0.823s | source
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elzbardico ◴[18 Nov 24 14:55 UTC] No.42172833[source]▶
The militarization of law enforcement and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race.
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bcdtttt[dead post] ◴[18 Nov 24 15:03 UTC] No.42172921[source]▶
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blackeyeblitzar[dead post] ◴[18 Nov 24 15:49 UTC] No.42173503[source]▶
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diggan ◴[18 Nov 24 15:52 UTC] No.42173528[source]▶
> This is a vague claim made by the anti policing activists

Probably a conclusion people come to when they compare US police looking more like the US military every day, while their local police doesn't go in that direction at all. At least that's true for me as a person living in Spain but sometimes seeing the really crazy equipment US police seems to have.

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blackeyeblitzar ◴[18 Nov 24 16:04 UTC] No.42173681[source]▶
Having semiautomatic rifles or armored vehicles isn’t militarization. Private citizens can get those too. Police forces don’t have M1 Abrams tanks or F35s or nuclear carriers. This claim that the police are problematic is an entirely emotional activist response to a few incidents. That sentiment then led to hyperbolic claims like militarization.
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1. diggan ◴[18 Nov 24 16:14 UTC] No.42173788[source]▶
Doesn't the police in the US frequently end up with hardware the military used to use? I've seen bunch of pictures/videos of police using Humvees and similar stuff, which I thought was originally made for military use, not domestic policing.

It also seems like in 2015 there was limits added that made it so "the military was restricted from transferring some weapons, such as grenade launchers, weaponized vehicles, and bayonets to police". Why was that restriction needed if the police isn't becoming more and more like the military?

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2. nradov ◴[18 Nov 24 19:27 UTC] No.42175960[source]▶
Humvees (HMMWV) aren't anything special. They were sold new for a while on the US civilian market. It's just another truck. The military surplus ones didn't come with weapons. Lots of other countries also sell off military surplus trucks, I've seen regular people in Europe driving comparable vehicles like a Unimog.