The 1033 program is a donation (permanent loan) from the DoD to the individual requesting agencies; the spending involved as described by the author does not actually represent money given by local agencies to the DoD, but rather value written off by the Dod.
Exploring the Militarization of US Police Forces
11–20 of 20 posts
Re: Exploring the Militarization of US Police Forces
#126.65mm rifle should be 5.56mm
there is a 6.5mm round but its very specialized and not likely to be acquired by police forces
Re: Exploring the Militarization of US Police Forces
#13This does not appear to happen in other developed, western countries. Not to the same extent at least. I have not seen it in New Zealand or Australia, although there are criminals and drug dealers in both. I have not heard of such a thing in the UK, France, Germany, Italy or Canada. Is this an American thing?
The British and the anglo Dominion countries (can/aus/nz) have police that follow Peelian principles. Sir Robert Peel introduced these reforms in 1829, well after the American Revolution, and somewhat in response to the shady practices of the French police during their (post-)revolutionary period. The principles are basically starting from "work with the community" rather than "us vs them thin blue line".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peelian_principles
Mind you, the other countries also don't have a population which has hysterically self-armed itself in the last 2-3 decades. When everyone carries a gun and the police are still expected to do their duty, they have to have superior firepower at the end of the day.
Re: Exploring the Militarization of US Police Forces
#14interesting correlation with education.
Re: Exploring the Militarization of US Police Forces
#15This does not appear to happen in other developed, western countries. Not to the same extent at least. I have not seen it in New Zealand or Australia, although there are criminals and drug dealers in both. I have not heard of such a thing in the UK, France, Germany, Italy or Canada. Is this an American thing?
France and Italy, from what I know, have literal military [1,2] doing the job the police does in the US. So no, it's not an American thing. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Gendarmerie 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carabinieri
Especially true in Paris these days...
Re: Exploring the Militarization of US Police Forces
#16This does not appear to happen in other developed, western countries. Not to the same extent at least. I have not seen it in New Zealand or Australia, although there are criminals and drug dealers in both. I have not heard of such a thing in the UK, France, Germany, Italy or Canada. Is this an American thing?
France and Italy, from what I know, have literal military [1,2] doing the job the police does in the US. So no, it's not an American thing. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Gendarmerie 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carabinieri
The gendarmerie and the carabinieri are both national police services (like the FBI). They also do things like port security.
I've seen gendarmerie, carabinieri but also local sherrifs offices; There is a world of difference between the first two and the last in terms of discipline and training. For example the first two don't make YouTube videos like these: https://youtu.be/CYunIrWDANU
Re: Exploring the Militarization of US Police Forces
#17Earlier quoted context omitted.
France and Italy, from what I know, have literal military [1,2] doing the job the police does in the US. So no, it's not an American thing. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Gendarmerie 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carabinieri
The gendarmerie and the carabinieri are both national police services (like the FBI). They also do things like port security. I've seen gendarmerie, carabinieri but also local sherrifs offices; There is a world of difference between the first two and the last in terms of discipline and training. For example the first two don't make YouTube videos like these: https://youtu.be/CYunIrWDANU
I think you are slightly confused about FBI and city/county/state police forces in the US and policing in Europe. French police is a national police service like the FBI [1], Gendarmierie is a branch of military under command of the same Ministry of Interior, which also controls the National Police. It's an actual military, with military weapons, uniforms, barracks, chain of command etc. etc. There is nothing like this in the US indeed. National Guard is closest but it does not do law enforcement on regular basis.
Similarly in Italy. National Police [2] is separate from Carabinieri, who are not even under the command of Ministry of Interior, but under the Ministry of Defence, making them even more "militarized" (which makes sense, since they also serve as MP).
Re: Exploring the Militarization of US Police Forces
#18This does not appear to happen in other developed, western countries. Not to the same extent at least. I have not seen it in New Zealand or Australia, although there are criminals and drug dealers in both. I have not heard of such a thing in the UK, France, Germany, Italy or Canada. Is this an American thing?
See the future of German police mobility: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMMV_Survivor_R
Of course the police needs their own tank, because, you know, terrorists. Boo!
Re: Exploring the Militarization of US Police Forces
#19Earlier quoted context omitted.
> With whom are they going to war, exactly? The criminals who are attacking them in neighbourhoods you don't go to.
This particular Sheriff's Department hasn't lost an officer in the line of duty since 1998 (and that's a good thing): https://www.odmp.org/agency/3457-san-mateo-county-sheriffs-o... San Mateo county's violent crime rate is 2.1 per 1,000 people, well below the US national average of about 3.7.
> This particular Sheriff's Department hasn't lost an officer in the line of duty since 1998 (and that's a good thing):
Great, here's to the next two decades of nobody being shot in a county where the neighbourhood with the most violent crime still has housing prices higher than 99.4%(!) of the country. The next time somebody is shooting at them, they might have the armoured vehicle out; you should be happy for that. Armoured vehicles are not a weapon of war, they are a common tool for protecting business and life. Banks use armoured cars , VIPs use armoured cars. If you were responding to a shootout, even if it's the first and last of your career, you would want to arrive in an armoured car.
Re: Exploring the Militarization of US Police Forces
#20This does not appear to happen in other developed, western countries. Not to the same extent at least. I have not seen it in New Zealand or Australia, although there are criminals and drug dealers in both. I have not heard of such a thing in the UK, France, Germany, Italy or Canada. Is this an American thing?
Plain wrong.
In addition to Carabinieri and Guardia di Finanza, Italy has had "classic" military (infantrymen in camo, from the Italian Army, Paratroopers and Artillery regiments) patrolling the streets in two separate operations, one of which is active nowadays:
- Operation Sicilian Vespers, against the Mafia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Sicilian_Vespers_(19...), ceased in 1998.
- Operation Safe Streets (strade sicure), against terrorism and generic crime. Still active (https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operazione_Strade_sicure)