Obama Orders Review of Military Sales to Police
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on August 23rd, 2014 11:08 pm by HL
Obama Orders Review of Military Sales to Police
President Barack Obama has ordered a review of programs enabling state and local enforcement to buy military equipment, a senior administration official said Saturday. The decision follows public criticism of the use of such assets — including armored vehicles, high-tech weaponry and stun grenades — recently in Ferguson, Missouri. Such force to calm violent protests, in aftermath of the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown, raised questions about what some refer to as the “militarization of police.” Acquisition of military surplus equipment by local police departments became possible through the military’s Defense Logistics Agency, a law enforcement support program established in 1999.
Cuomo Bid to Knock Rival Off Ballot Fails
A New York State appeals court ruled on Wednesday that Zephyr Teachout, a law professor who is running against Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in the Democratic primary, can remain on the Sept. 9 ballot. Cuomo’s campaign questioned whether Teachout, who teaches at Fordham Law School, met the state’s five-year residency requirement to be governor. “With this frivolous lawsuit behind us, I’m hopeful the governor will now agree to debate,” said Teachout, who writes on government corruption and was Howard Dean’s director of Internet organizing in 2004.
