The growth in the program in Florida and across the country since 2016 alarmed groups such as the Southern Poverty Law Center, which said in its appeal to Congress that military equipment in the hands of police does not prevent crime or improve public safety. In 2014 alone, 26 anti-mine trucks were bought by departments in the state, including four by the Florida Highway Patrol.

There are now dozens of the highly sophisticated war machines at the disposal of police in Florida. In the first three months of 2020, agencies in Florida had already spent $3 million in military equipment.Īmong that equipment are the anti-mine trucks, made for soldiers in conflict zones throughout the Middle East. In 2019, more than $15 million worth went to Florida law enforcement. The Obama-era restrictions on the program were relaxed when Donald Trump became president - and the flow of military equipment to local police surged again. He believes the actions in Ferguson maligned the program, but does not see the military hand-me-downs as the militarization of local police. Under Lamberti’s leadership, the Broward sheriff’s office acquired military trucks and personal protection gear but not heavily armored vehicles. “It all but killed the program,” said Al Lamberti, the former sheriff of Broward County who spent 35 years in law enforcement. In response, President Barack Obama curtailed the 1033 Program after determining that while more equipment was being sent to local police, training for its use - especially when it came to civil rights - had not been institutionalized. In 2014, similar protests following the killing of a Black man by police in Ferguson, Missouri, turned violent and led to outrage when officers in armored vehicles and heavy military gear hurled tear gas at civilians. Yildez said the department’s Mine Resistant Ambush Protected light-armor vehicle, may look like it’s only for war zones but can also plow through several feet of water - useful during hurricanes when rescuers must reach flooded areas.īut similar armored trucks have also been been seen on city streets during times of unrest.Īs protests continue across the country demanding justice for George Floyd and other unarmed Blacks killed by police, scenes of local officers using military equipment to confront protesters have flooded television and the internet. Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected (MRAP) tanks like this are among the surplus military equipment sold to Florida police agencies under the federal 1033 Program.

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