How Obama's order restricting military surplus would affect suburbs
CAMDEN, N.J. — President Barack Obama ended long-running federal transfers of some combat-style gear to local law enforcement on Monday in an attempt to ease tensions between police and minority communities, saying equipment made for the battlefield should not be a tool of American criminal justice.
But it's unclear what impact Obama's announcement will have on departments in the suburbs of Chicago that use the federal program.
Grenade launchers, bayonets, tracked armored vehicles, weaponized aircraft and vehicles, firearms and ammunition of .50-caliber or higher will no longer be provided to state and local police agencies by the federal government under Obama's order.
“We've seen how militarized gear can sometimes give people a feeling like there's an occupying force, as opposed to a force that's part of the community that's protecting them and serving them,” Obama said, nine months after an outcry over the use of riot gear and armored vehicles by police confronting protesters in Ferguson, Missouri.
“It can alienate and intimidate local residents and send the wrong message,” he said.
A Daily Herald analysis published in January found that more than 450 Illinois law enforcement agencies have gotten more than $66 million worth of free surplus military equipment — ranging from night vision goggles and bandages to high-powered rifles, bayonets and tanks — through federal program 1033 of the Law Enforcement Support Office. The full database of what equipment Illinois agencies have can be found at http://reportcards.dailyherald.com/gfx/2015/militaryequip/.
Round Lake Park Police Chief George Filenko said Monday he “totally supports' Obama's announcement. He said it's a good move in light of some heavily armed police departments receiving criticism after officer-involved shootings.
“This militarization is not helping and that's not what we want to be about,” Filenko said.
Filenko noted the types of military equipment his department acquired, such as an all-terrain vehicle or snowmobile — still would be available to local police. He said departments need to convert the equipment from military to typical police use.
Susan Olafson, spokeswoman for the DuPage Forest Preserve — which received 16 weapons, a mix of M-16, M-14 and .45 caliber pistols through the program — said the department uses the guns for color guard and training purposes.
“We would need to review the implications of the ban and any impact,” she said on Monday.
With police under increased scrutiny over highly publicized deaths of black suspects nationwide, Obama also unveiled the final report of a task force he created to help build confidence between police and minority communities. And he issued a broader appeal for Americans to address racial disparities and the needs of poor communities before they erupt into disorder.
In addition to the prohibitions in his order, Obama also is placing a longer list of military equipment under tighter control, including wheeled armored vehicles like Humvees, manned aircraft, drones, specialized firearms, explosives, battering rams and riot batons, helmets and shields.
Starting in October, police will have to get approval from their city council, mayor or some other local governing body to obtain such equipment, provide a persuasive explanation of why it is needed and have more training and data collection on its use.
Ed Yohnka of the Illinois ACLU and Jim Bueermann of the national Police Federation told the Daily Herald in January that those steps and greater transparency in the process would be huge steps forward.
“If a (police) chief cannot convince his community of the justification and rationale for one of these things, they should not have one,” Bueermann said.
Programs that transfer surplus military-style equipment from the Pentagon and other federal agencies have been around for decades, but Congress increased spending to help departments acquire the gear in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks.
The issue of police militarization rose to prominence last year after a white police officer in Ferguson fatally shot unarmed black 18-year-old Michael Brown, sparking protests. Critics questioned why police in full body armor with armored trucks responded to dispel demonstrators.
In January, Fred Hayes, president of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, told the Daily Herald that the proliferation of equipment had gotten out of control, especially when it came to mine resistant vehicles, which 16 law enforcement agencies in Illinois have, including small towns like Winthrop Harbor, Spring Grove and Round Lake Park.
“I really can't think of any situation where they would use that,” he said. “The MRAP doesn't meet the needs of most law enforcement agencies today. It's a very large vehicle. It's very hard to maneuver. It was designed to shield our soldiers from driving over an explosive device.
“Just because you have the ability to obtain that equipment doesn't mean you should,” he said.
A federal review published in December showed five federal agencies spent $18 billion on programs that provided equipment, including 92,442 small arms, 44,275 night-vision devices, 5,235 Humvees, 617 mine-resistant vehicles and 616 aircraft. At the time, the White House defended the programs as proving to be useful in many cases, such as the response to the Boston Marathon bombing.
Instead of repealing the programs, Obama issued an executive order that required federal agencies that run the programs to consult with law enforcement and civil rights and civil liberties organizations to recommend changes that make sure they are accountable and transparent.
The report from the 21st Century Policing task force has a long list of recommendations to improve trust in police, including encouraging more transparency about interactions with the public. The White House said 21 police agencies nationwide, including Camden and Philadelphia, have agreed to start putting out never-before released data on citizen interactions, like use of force, stops, citations and officer-involved shootings. The administration also is launching an online tool kit to encourage the use of body cameras to record police interactions.
The Justice Department is giving $163 million in grants to incentivize police departments to adopt the report's recommendations.
• Daily Herald staff writers Melissa Silverberg, Justin Kmitch and Bob Susnjara, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.