Is Trump right to militarise US Police?

Trump signs executive order lifting Obama-era ban on police departments getting surplus military equipment – including armored vehicles and grenade launchers
President Trump is set to sign an executive order Monday that will overturn a military equipment ban for law enforcement officials
Attorney General Jeff Sessions discussed the plan during the annual meeting of Fraternal Order of Police in Nashville, Tennessee
Under the plan, an Obama-era executive order would be overturned
Trump's new order will reinstate police departments' ability to obtain firearms, bayonets, 50-caliber ammunition, riot shields – and even grenade launchers
Obama's executive order was first put into place amid controversy following a militarized police response to 2014 race riots in Ferguson, Missouri

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Mrsmeta · 46-50, F

I understand the police have difficult jobs fighting crime. i support them in fighting America's crime problems but I don't know that grenade launchers and other paramilitary weapons are the best tools for fighting crime such as property crime, heroin abuse, violent crime etc. How about data? GPS/camera monitors? More specially trained officers? Wouldn't that be money better spent ?

sogdianrock · 61-69, M

hi Mrsmeta ·
Good points.
I read that The US is getting increasingly polarised. Maybe it plays into that somehow?
Best wishes
:)

Ellen · 46-50, F

@Mrsmeta I'd like to have some statistics on how many grenade launchers have actually been transferred from DOD to local police departments. I think that's probably just a nice talking point to alarm us. My understanding is that most of what was being transferred prior to President Obama's executive order were surplus vehicles no longer needed in Iraq. These vehicles have otherwise gone to rot.
Our police department actually has a couple of these. They never really get used. But during superstorm Sandy, they came in handy; not just in our town, but in the entire affected area.

Mrsmeta · 46-50, F

@Ellen hmmm... but is putting a military vehicle in an urban environment the
Best way to fight crime? Couldn't the military sell these to other countries or scrap the materials?

Ellen · 46-50, F

@Mrsmeta Not sure where they are ending up now. Likely they are in a yards rotting away. Government is very inefficient. There are fields and fields of obsolete aircraft sitting in AZ. So I imagine the same goes for any other obsolete or surplus vehicles. But like I said, our town, as well as many others along the coast have these vehicles which they use only during emergencies..like superstorm Sandy.
And no..local police have no need for grenade launchers. That's why I'd like to know what local police departments actually have any.

malizz · 70-79, M

@Mrsmeta Next thing you know, they will be used against us.