What is the 1033 program in simple terms?
What is the 1033 program in simple terms?
The LESO/1033 Program is just one way for law enforcement agencies to obtain military sourced equipment. The LESO/1033 Program handles excess military property for use by law enforcement agencies, but prohibits transfer of military uniforms, body armor, Kevlar helmets and the other items discussed above.
What is the meaning of militarization of the police?
Police militarization is defined by scholars as the “process whereby civilian police increasingly draw from and pattern themselves around, the tenets of militarism and the military model.” This process tangibly occurs when a civilian police force adopts the equipment, operational tactics, mindsets, or culture of the …
How has the police force been militarized since the 1970s?
Since the 1970s, riot police have fired at protesters using guns with rubber bullets or plastic bullets. A 2018 study found that militarized police units in the United States were more frequently deployed to communities with large shares of African-Americans, even after controlling for local crime rates.
What is the purpose of the 1033 program?
Section 1033 of the National Defense Authorization Act of 1997 authorizes the Department of Defense to transfer excess military property to state and local law enforcement agencies.
Why was the 1033 program created?
The origins of 1033 lie in America’s “forever wars” on drugs, crime, and terror. In 1996, Congress made the Pentagon’s temporary authority to give weapons of war to local law enforcement agencies permanent and expanded its purview to “counterterrorism” as well, creating 1033 as we know it.
Who started militarization of police?
Militarization of the police goes back to the Reagan-era war on drugs when one program informally began giving surplus military equipment from the Pentagon to police departments across the U.S. The initiative, known as the 1033 program, was formally implemented when Congress passed a law in the 1990s.
Do police use tanks?
For decades, police departments have acquired military weaponry like grenade launchers and armored vehicles for little cost through a controversial Defense Department program called 1033. “People are seeing for the first time just how militarized the police force is.
