In recent years, there has been growing concern over the acquisition of high-cost military equipment by US police departments.
The National Defense Authorization Act, which was passed in the 1990s, has made it possible for police departments all around the country to purchase military excess worth billions of dollars.
Concerns of US Police Department Militarization
The NDAA is sometimes held responsible for the growing militarization of American law enforcement, despite the fact that it forbids the transfer of vehicles that by their very nature include weapons, such as Bradley fighting vehicles or armed drones.
These complaints are valid given how many police departments have utilized the program to acquire armored vehicles and small guns.
The majority of the equipment purchased under the NDAA, however, is non-lethal and would typically be made available for purchase by the general public, including office supplies, cameras, and first aid kits.
The Department of Defense has sold surplus equipment to law enforcement agencies for more than $7 billion over the last 33 years.
A relatively small section of extremely expensive cars, planes, and high-tech equipment is mostly responsible for that value.
24/7 Wall St. found the most expensive military hardware that police agencies are purchasing using data from the Pentagon Logistics Agency of the DOD.
We only took into account purchases made between 2010 and the first quarter of 2023. Things are rated according to their maximum worth, which can be anywhere between $600,000 and $22 million.
It is significant to highlight that expenditures related to these purchases reflect the military’s original cost, not necessarily the cost incurred by local police enforcement.
Read more: Elon Musk raises alarm on US-China tensions, stresses importance of Taiwan control issue
Impact of Military Equipment on Law Enforcement
According to a 2017 study, the frequency of civilians killed by law enforcement agents rises when those agency receive military weaponry.
When other factors were taken into account, it was discovered that counties that acquired the most military equipment had more than twice the rate of police killings as those that did not.
A 2017 study published in the American Economic Journal indicated that getting military weapons didn’t aid the police in lowering crime rates, in addition to an elevated death rate.
Read more: Nigerians face election-related visa restrictions by US authorities