Will Miller Green Mountain Veterans For Peace

Letter to the Editor:  Militarization of the Police

by Richard Czaplinski

Submitted to the Times Argus

6 Oct 2014

 

According to information compiled and mapped by the New York Times, police departments of all counties in Vermont but one have received surplus military equipment. Washington County has received the most, which includes 80 assault rifles, 5 pistols, 2 shotguns and a mine resistant vehicle.

 

Much of this equipment showed up in the standoff in Duxbury on August 19 where 30 law enforcement vehicles (including the mine resistant vehicle) were on the scene, officers in full military combat gear with assault rifles, and a helicopter. All this was in response to a man who threatened to harm himself and had fired shots. (See the story in Times Argus 8/22/2014, Show of force: How much?)

 

Certainly a careful, timely and considered response is necessary, but many feel that the response was excessive and dangerous.

 

The Vermont Chapter of Veterans For Peace (of which I am a member) discussed this event at our last monthly meeting and concluded that the US government program that gives surplus military gear to state police forces is inappropriate and leads excessive response to such events. We took the position that there should be legislation to ban the acceptance of surplus military equipment by state police forces.

 

We have sent a letter to all candidates for state legislature asking, if elected would you:

• Introduce a bill to prevent Vermont agencies from acquiring military equipment (e.g., high caliber automatic weapons, armored vehicles, drones, aircraft, stun grenades, and silencers) from the Department of Defense

• Co-sponsor such a bill?

• Vote in favor of such a bill?

• Oppose such a bill?

 

The results of this survey are already appearing on our website here where you can check if your candidates have responded and how.

 

Richard Czaplinski

Warren, VT