Why is dhs arming up

Critics of this process have suggested that the message sent to police through equipping them with military equipment is that they are in fact at war. The consequences of this militarized police mentality can be deadly, especially for black Americans. A study of police-involved deaths between and found that on average, police kill 2. The risk of death at the hands of an officer was found to be between 3. And there appears to be a correlation between militarization and police violence. A study analyzed spending by police departments against police-involved fatalities.

Behavioral scientist Denise Herd has studied the community effect of police violence. The trauma from the video of George Floyd in clear distress while a uniformed officer knelt on his neck is evident in the reaction it has provoked. The need to address the escalation of police confrontations — both during protests and in individual encounters — was a focus of the last big push for police reform, after the killing of a unarmed black man in Ferguson, Missouri, in As with the case of George Floyd, it led to violent scenes in which protesters confronted militarized officers.

By the evidence of the last few days, a number of police departments have failed to heed the message. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. The program is only one of several policies arming local police departments with this kind of equipment. Other programs from the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice also subsidize or supply the gear to police.

The money is earmarked for counterterrorism, but DHS specifies that once acquired, the equipment can be used for any other law-enforcement purpose, from shutting down protests to serving warrants and executing home searches. The programs helped lead to a proliferation of SWAT teams across the country. With the new teams and equipment, local police have conducted more SWAT raids.

A report from the American Civil Liberties Union found these raids are much more likely to hit predominantly black neighborhoods, while white neighborhoods are much less likely to be affected. In response to outcry against police militarization following the events in Ferguson, the Obama administration ordered a comprehensive review of the policies that supplied local police departments with military-grade equipment.

The administration eventually stopped the flow of heavy military-grade equipment — such as tanks and grenade launchers — to police, and imposed restrictions on lighter equipment. Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment: to empower through understanding. Financial contributions from our readers are a critical part of supporting our resource-intensive work and help us keep our journalism free for all. Please consider making a contribution to Vox today to help us keep our work free for all.

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