I saw a white man with a gun. I heard a policeman saying, "Place the weapon down on the ground, ple

Lawmaker drafting bill to demilitarize local police

By Mario Trujillo and Jesse Byrnes - 08/14/14 01:58 PM EDT

A Democratic congressman from Georgia is drafting legislation to limit a Pentagon program that provides surplus military equipment to local law enforcement.

Rep. Hank Johnson is pushing the legislation amid the situation in Ferguson, Mo., where an armed police presence has taken to the streets after mass protests over a police shooting.

"Our main streets should be a place for business, families, and relaxation, not tanks and M16s," Johnson wrote in a Dear Colleague letter sent Thursday to other members of Congress.
“As the tragedy in Missouri unfolds, one thing is clear. Our local police are becoming militarized,” Johnson's office said in a statement.

Johnson said he will introduce the bill in September, when Congress returns from a five-week recess. He has been worked on the legislation for months, but his office said the current situation highlights the need for the bill.

Police have been out in force in Ferguson following the death of Michael Brown, a black teenager who was unarmed when he was shot by a police officer during a street confrontation.

The images coming out of Ferguson — which President Obama on Thursday called “deeply disturbing” — have spurred comparisons with a war zone, with heavily armed police officers pointing weapons at protesters. Some of the protesters have reportedly thrown Molotov cocktails at police.

"Is this a war zone or a US city?" Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) tweeted Wednesday evening, as reports emerged of police using smoke bombs and tear gas to disperse crowds.

Johnson criticized the Pentagon's '1033' program, which offers surplus military equipment to state and local law enforcement, including M16 rifles and mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles (MRAP).

He noted in the last several months those vehicles have been given to cities in Texas, Idaho, Indiana, Minnesota, New York, South Carolina, Tennessee, Arizona, Illinois and Alabama.

"This trend is not only sweeping America's small cities, it's hitting American college campuses as well. Ohio State University recently acquired an MRAP," he said. "Apparently, college kids are getting too rowdy."

Johnson said his bill would limit the type of equipment that could be transferred and would make sure states track all equipment received.

Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson on Thursday pushed back on criticism of the police response.

"The whole picture is being painted a little bit sideways from what's happening," Jackson said.

"It's not military, it's tactical operations. It's SWAT teams. That's who's out there — police. We're doing this in blue."

Ferguson Mayor James Knowles similarly defended police conduct, telling MSNBC he could not "second guess these officers."

Lawmakers aren’t convinced and are increasingly sounding the alarm about the new firepower being wielded by police departments.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a contender for the GOP nomination in 2016, on Thursday penned an op-ed for Time magazine blaming Washington for “using federal dollars to help municipal governments build what are essentially small armies.”

"There is a legitimate role for the police to keep the peace, but there should be a difference between a police response and a military response," Paul wrote. "Not surprisingly, big government has been at the heart of the problem."

Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill (Mo.) on Thursday said the police response seen in Ferguson “has become the problem instead of the solution.”

McCaskill said that while she respected police working to provide safety, "my constituents are allowed to have peaceful protests, and the police need to respect that right and protect that right."

Obama said Thursday that "there is never an excuse for violence against police" but added that there was "no excuse for police to use excessive force."

hyperbolic

grenade launchers GRACIE????

Before the turn of the millennium, the West Springfield Police Department received two M79 grenade launchers and seven M14 rifles through a Department of Defense program.

The M79 grenade launcher is a single-shot, shoulder-fired, break-action grenade launcher that fires a 40x46mm grenade which uses what the US Army calls the High-Low Propulsion System to keep recoil forces low, and first appeared during the Vietnam War. Because of its distinctive report, it has earned the nicknames of "Thumper", "Thump-Gun", "Bloop Tube", and "Blooper" among American soldiers;[1] Australian units referred to it as the "Wombat Gun".[2] The M79 can fire a wide variety of 40 mm rounds, including explosive, anti-personnel, smoke, buckshot, flechette, and illumination. While largely replaced by the M203,[3] the M79 has remained in service in many units worldwide in niche roles.

So you want statistics? I got plenty...we can start with the cops who were shot down that I knew personally and work from there.

The M79 grenade launcher is a single-shot, shoulder-fired, break-action grenade launcher that fires a 40x46mm grenade which uses what the US Army calls the High-Low Propulsion System to keep recoil forces low, and first appeared during the Vietnam War. Because of its distinctive report, it has earned the nicknames of "Thumper", "Thump-Gun", "Bloop Tube", and "Blooper" among American soldiers;[1] Australian units referred to it as the "Wombat Gun".[2] The M79 can fire a wide variety of 40 mm rounds, including explosive, anti-personnel, smoke, buckshot, flechette, and illumination. While largely replaced by the M203,[3] the M79 has remained in service in many units worldwide in niche roles.

You don't seem to know the difference between anecdotes and statistics.

No PD would use HE from a M79.

an·ec·dote
ˈanikˌdōt/Submit
noun
a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person.
"told anecdotes about his job"
synonyms: story, tale, narrative, incident; More
an account regarded as unreliable or hearsay.
"his wife's death has long been the subject of rumor and anecdote"
the depiction of a minor narrative incident in a painting.

sta·tis·tic
stəˈtistik/Submit
noun
1.
a fact or piece of data from a study of a large quantity of numerical data.
"the statistics show that the crime rate has increased"

simple warrant

I'm not anti-cop but law enforcement is just another gang to me.....

The kind where they used to just walk up to your door and knock in order to serve it.

I've got some. (statistics) Crimes rates - including violent crimes rates - have been falling dramatically over the past decade.