The Pentagon gave nearly half a billion dollars of military gear to local law enforcement last year - The Washington Post
▻http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/08/14/the-pentagon-gave-nearly-half-a-billion-dollars-of-military-gear-to-
The needs of an occupying military force are—or at least should be—distinct from those of a local law enforcement agency. Effective policing requires much more than overwhelming firepower. It entails, among other things, working with the local community to gain its trust. But it’s difficult to do that when you’re staring community members down from atop the gun turret of an armored vehicle, as St. Louis County police officers did last night in Ferguson.
