zlacker

>>js2+(OP)
I'm heartened by city council members Tammy Morales in Seattle, Nury Martinez in LA, and Steve Fletcher in Minneapolis who are all seriously discussing significantly defunding or disbanding their police departments. While we've had protests like this in the past, I don't think I've ever seen so many places seriously asking how much we need our police, and how equipped they should be.

Clearly, the answer is that police departments are filling roles they do not need to fill, and have expensive, military style equipment they do not need to have. I hope we see more cities bringing these ideas to the table.

>>Pfhrea+48
Is there any proof that police having a Humvee makes them more violent or is that an emotional reaction?

>>missed+O8
>Is there any proof that police having a Humvee makes them more violent or is that an emotional reaction?

The former [1].

>1033 receipts are associated with both an increase in the number of observed police killings in a given year as well as the change in the number of police killings from year to year, controlling for a battery of possible confounding variables including county wealth, racial makeup, civilian drug use, and violent crime.

[1] https://www.cato.org/blog/militarization-makes-police-more-v...

>>ciaran+d9
Yes but were not asking the most important question... Is there less crime? If police departments that didnt receive these weapons are too afraid to enforce laws then perhaps they should be getting some.