The technology shift – from defense to homeland security

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This trend started in Israel and now is being implemented in many countries mainly in the u.s where it is causing a heated debate.

Affiliates of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in twenty-three  states have filed more than 255 requests for public records in order to determine how many local police departments are using federally subsidized military technology and tactics – technology and tactics which have traditionally been used on battlefields overseas such as, most recently,  Iraq and Afghanistan. Wisconsin.

The ACLU officials claim that equipping state and local law enforcement with military weapons and vehicles, military tactical training, and actual military assistance to conduct traditional law enforcement erodes civil liberties and encourages increasingly aggressive policing, particularly in poor neighborhoods and communities of colored people.

The requests also seek information about  the number of SWAT teams and their deployments, purposes, and the types of weapons these SWAT units carried or used during these deployments, and what injuries were sustained by civilians. The requests also see information about  training methods and funding.

The ACLU says it is interested to find out whether local police agencies were using cutting edge weapons and technologies such as GPS tracking devices; unmanned aerial vehicles, or “drones”; augmented detainee restraint, or “shock-cuffs”; military weaponry, equipment, and vehicles obtained from or funded by federal agencies such as the Departments of Defense or Homeland Security, and more.

The ACLU says it wants the public to know what their law enforcement agencies are using and whether the equipment is necessary for local enforcement.