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242 points LinuxBender | 2 comments | | HN request time: 0.402s | source
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elzbardico ◴[] 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] ◴[] No.42172921[source]
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blackeyeblitzar[dead post] ◴[] No.42173503[source]
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diggan ◴[] 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 ◴[] 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. piltdownman ◴[] No.42174049[source]
They have Bazookas, Grenade Launchers, Predator drones, and mine resistant vehicles up to and including Armored Personnel Carriers. None of these are available to private citizens.

Obama went so far as to say the following when trying to reign in the 1033 program in 2015

"We've seen how militarized gear can sometimes give people a feeling like it's an occupying force as opposed to a force that's part of the community that's protecting them and serving them ... So we're going to prohibit equipment made for the battlefield that is not appropriate for local police departments."

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2. Aloisius ◴[] No.42175321[source]
> None of these are available to private citizens.

Private citizens can actually buy mine resistant vehicles. We can even buy main battle tanks - though the turret needs to be disabled without a Destructive Device permit.

With a Destructive Device permit, you can also buy a grenade launcher.

We don't sell predator drones to local police departments. Police use the same commercial drones any other private citizen can buy - though cities often restrict whether non-police can fly them.