Joe Biden Could Easily Recall the Billions in Military Equipment Police Received From the Pentagon
American police departments are armed to the teeth with military-grade weaponry like Humvees and assault rifles. Nothing is stopping President Biden from shutting down this military-to-police pipeline right away.
Nearly $34 million in military equipment was sent to police in the first quarter of 2021. (Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Nearly $34 million in military equipment was sent to police in the first quarter of this year, according to the Pentagon’s latest figures on the 1033 program. Since its inception in 1997, the program has been a conduit for at least $1.8 billion in combat gear shipments from the Department of Defense to US law enforcement agencies.
Not surprisingly, arming police to the teeth makes them more violent. Law enforcement agencies that get combat gear through the 1033 program tend to shoot and kill more people than ones that don’t.
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