City officials around the state are debating how much firepower should be in the hands of local law enforcement officials.
The debates rage as watchdog groups around the state have fought back against everything from new armored vehicles to drone use to increased surveillance tactics by local agencies.
KQED’s California Report states, “Military-grade equipment usually comes to local police from two main sources — for free from the Pentagon, after being used in Iraq or Afghanistan — or purchased with assistance from Homeland Security grants. The trend began during the 1990s and escalated after 9/11. But today, especially after the events in Ferguson, Missouri, more questions are being asked about whether this is the right direction for a local police department to follow.”
Local officials in the city of Davis recently succeeded in getting city officials to return an armored vehicle purchased by the police department. In Oakland, the council passed restrictions on surveillance drones after heated public debate.
In Sacramento, the ACLU has filed a lawsuit over the use of cell-phone interception technology by the local sheriff’s department.
Much of the new military-style equipment is being purchased with grants from the federal government.
KQED reports, “The Los Angeles Unified School District’s police returned three grenade launchers to the Department of Defense. The cities of San Jose and Davis each returned a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle, known as an MRAP.”