Trump reverses Obama era restriction on giving military equipment to police agencies.

An armored vehicle during the Michael Brown riots. New York Times. 

President Donald Trump has reversed an Obama-era restriction on giving military equipment to police agencies. New York Times. The ruling will allow police departments to receive "lifesaving gear" such as armored vehicles, grenade launchers and bayonets. Obama stopped programs that gave this equipment after the Ferguson riots where armed and armored police faced off against rioters. Trump will sign an executive order fulling restoring the program, called 1033. The Obama order also effected riot equipment like helmets and shields. Trump's action has opposed by some members of the left and right. 

My Comment:

I've gone back and forth on the idea of the militarization of the police. Back when the Bundy Ranch standoff happened it was fairly disturbing to see the government deploy military equipment against a bunch of peaceful protesters. Sure, those protesters were as well armed as the cops, but the idea that the federal government would deploy armored vehicles to resolve a dispute over cattle grazing was insane to me. 

There was also the reaction to the Boston Marathon bombing. Though that incident was serious, during the manhunt, the entire city was shut down and the police were driving armored vehicles through the streets. It was crazy and made Boston look more like a war zone than an American city. 

I think, for a very brief time, there was bipartisan support for police reform and police demilitarization. There were different reasons for it on the left on right but it seemed like something both sides could agree on, albeit for different reasons. There was goodwill on both sides. But not anymore.

What happened? So much. I put the primary blame on groups like Black Lives Matter and Antifa. Ironically enough, the protests against the "police state" has completely justified it's existence. Americans saw their cities burning, such as Ferguson and Baltimore, and several terrorist attacks specifically targeting the police, including the attacks in Dallas and Baton Rouge. Not to mention several high profile and extremely dangerous terrorist attacks, such as San Bernadino and the Pulse Nightclub shooting. 

This violence has completely sapped the right's appetite for police reform. Groups like Black Lives Matter and Antifa scare the hell out of the right and they are generally pro-police in the first place. They want to protect the lives of officers and are willing to use military equipment to do so. Many of us know cops and want them to be safe while under threat from terrorists of all stripes. They also want cops that can fight back when terrorists strike and rioters burn cities. 

Some libertarian leaners like Rand Paul will oppose this. Their argument is that providing this equipment is dangerous because if you give military equipment to cops than the cops will start acting like soldiers. I think this argument has some merit, but when groups like Black Lives Matter and Antifa aren't acting like protesters but terrorists instead, maybe soldiers are the right solution... 

I think there is an additional problem with police militarization as well, that the right might not consider that supports critics like Rand Paul. Republican opposition to police militarization has disappeared after Obama's term expired. Why? Because under Donald Trump there is basically no chance that he will deploy militarily armed police against the right. 

But what happens when Trump isn't president anymore? I have always said that Bush 43's main crime wasn't creating the NSA spying programs, but letting such an effective weapon fall into the hands of someone like Barack Obama. I trust Donald Trump with militarized police, but I do not trust a Democrat with that power at all. Sure, Obama was opposed to police militarization, but who is to say that the next Democrat will be? 

Either way though, this is an issue that I don't have a good answer for. I see the argument for giving police these kinds of weapons and armor. Civil unrest and terrorism is a huge problem and police need to be protected. On the other hand, there is an obvious chance of abuse, especially against those of us on the right politically. It's a tough question and one I need to think more about...