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Obama withholds ‘militaristic’ protective gear from Alabama police because it may ‘scare’ people

Police officers wearing Kevlar vests (Photo: Flickr user torbakhopper)
Police officers wearing Kevlar vests (Photo: Flickr user torbakhopper)

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has for months withheld protective gear from Alabama law enforcement agencies because some of it is “militaristic looking” and may cause local residents to feel “scared.”

The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, for example, had previously received two unarmed, tracked armored vehicles under Congress’s “1033” program. The program, which has been around for a couple of decades, allows for the transfer of military equipment to local law enforcement agencies. According to the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency, “over 8,000 federal and state law enforcement agencies from all 50 states and the U.S. territories participate in the program,” including many in Alabama. Local law enforcement agencies in the Yellowhammer State have received millions of dollars in equipment ranging from aircraft and assault rifles to armored vehicles, body armor and more.

That is, until the President signed an executive order rolling back the program in the wake of the race riots in Ferguson and Baltimore last year. As a result, all “militaristic looking” vehicles were seized from local law enforcement agencies.

“We’ve seen how militarized gear can sometimes give people the feeling like there’s an occupying force — as opposed to a force that’s part of the community that’s protecting them and serving them,” said President Obama, before adding that the equipment “can alienate and intimidate residents and make them feel scared.”

This week, U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) and Calhoun County Sheriff Larry Amerson are speaking out against the president’s policy, which they believe is unnecessarily placing Alabama’s first responders in danger.

“It is generally overlooked that the President’s order forbids local law enforcement from receiving any equipment that provides ballistic protection,” explained Sheriff Amerson. “The picture from San Bernardino showing the armored vehicle and the terrorist’s SUV is a graphic illustration of the value of this equipment. There are endless other examples, such the Orlando officer’s Kevlar helmet that stopped a bullet, using their armored vehicle to penetrate the building’s exterior wall ending the standoff, or ‘grenade launchers’ to dispense smoke or less lethal munitions (we have no grenades) to save human life during riots. In Baton Rouge the killer could be approached and stopped only by an officer operating from inside an armored vehicle. We are subject to the rule of law and held accountable for our actions both civilly and criminally as we should be. Simply stated this equipment saves lives of both law enforcement and civilians. We just ask that these resources paid for by the American tax payers be made available to us again.”

Shelby said he plans to continue to press the White House to reverse its “misguided” executive order rolling back the 1033 program.

“The senseless attacks on our law enforcement coupled with the threat of terrorism here at home underscores the need for our police to have the support and tools they need to keep us safe,” said Shelby. “The rule of law and the security of our citizens should be a top priority, yet the Obama Administration’s misguided restrictions on the Section 1033 program only make it more difficult for those who wear blue. While it is a step in the right direction that our law enforcement is finally getting attention from the White House on their needs, I am concerned that their pleas could fall on deaf ears. I plan to continue to follow the progress of the talks between the Administration and our police, and will fight tirelessly to ensure that the Administration’s misguided policy is reversed.”

RELATED:
1. Shelby: Obama is trying to exploit terrorist attacks to take away Second Amendment rights
2. Alabama law enforcement suspended from Federal police militarization program
3. Obama seizes ‘militaristic looking’ equipment from Alabama law enforcement, prompting backlash

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