J. PHARAOH DOSS
President Obama banned federal provision of military-style equipment to local law enforcement. (Police departments can still buy military-style gear from private vendors.)
The militarization of local police was questioned last year when the Ferguson Police Department used full body armor and armored trucks to confront a protest by day riot by night problem.
When did the police become militarized?
After 9/11 the federal government expanded its capability to provide local police with non-civilian hardware in case of emergency. This action coincided with all other government efforts to restore a sense of security to a public traumatized by terror.
What was the executive reason for the ban? Was it because the public overcame their fear of terror?