Steven Greenhut Asks, Can Police Resist Using New Military ‘Toys’?

After reporting a few years ago on some troubling
jail incidents, Steven Greenhut writes, I decided to tour various
Southern California jails to glean some insight. One tour jumped
out. It was at an alternative-style jail, where unarmed guards
patrolled a facility reminiscent of a community college. The top
jailer explained why his guards did not have riot gear and
military-style equipment. As soon as an agency buys new “toys,” he
said, someone finds a reason to use them. Greenhut writes that this
trend of police militarization recently hit new levels when
the San Diego Unified School District acquired a
Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle, and Los Angeles schools
got grenade launchers. 

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