Buying military surplus tank1/3/2024 ![]() ![]() Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)Ĭommunity activist Darryl Smith watched in dismay that day as police holding assault rifles faced neighborhood residents who sought answers about the recent shooting. A police spokesman said none of the equipment or weapons used in the unrest was from the military’s surplus program and that those acquisitions are reserved for training only. But several studies have concluded that military gear doesn’t make the public safer and can lead to more violent behavior by police officers.Ī Chicago police officer with a rifle walks near the scene of a police-involved shooting in the Englewood neighborhood on Aug. The Trump administration, which deployed federal agents in camouflage to Portland, Oregon, to control protesters, has taken the firm position that a militarily equipped police force reduces crime. Some critics, researchers and activists question whether dressing and equipping local law enforcement as if they were soldiers affects the way officers deal with the public and respond to hostile situations. The program’s popularity among some Illinois agencies comes at a time when the nation’s attention is focused on policing practices following the May killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, as well as the deaths of other Black people in police custody. Last year, departments across the state procured 875 items, which is more military surplus equipment than they’d received in a single year since 2015. That includes several armored vehicles like the one Hain took off public display, as well as assault rifles, combat boots, tactical vests that hold ammunition, night vision sniper scopes and “advanced combat optical gunsights.” ![]() Since August 2017, Illinois law enforcement agencies have obtained 1,319 items worth $4.7 million through the program, according to a Tribune analysis of federal data. ![]()
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