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"gewg_" writes:

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) reports via Common Dreams

Republican Governor Chris Christie has signed legislation making New Jersey the first state to require local, democratic approval before law enforcement agencies can receive surplus military equipment from the Department of Defense. The legislation--signed during Sunshine Week, a national celebration of government transparency and accountability that runs March 15-21--is a major victory for government transparency, democratic accountability, and the effort to demilitarize local police forces.

In recent decades, New Jersey law enforcement agencies have acquired nearly $33 million worth of military equipment, including armored vehicles, grenade launchers, and assault rifles. Under the new law, police departments must not only notify local governments of their intention to obtain used military gear, but also receive their explicit approval before doing so.

[...]New Jersey [...] is not alone among states grappling with the impact of police militarization.
For years, police departments in Massachusetts too have acquired surplus military equipment under the military's 1033 program, often in the dark and absent public input.

Representative Mary Keefe (D-Worcester) is leading the way by introducing legislation that will provide communities with a clear opportunity to weigh in on and shape any further militarization of their police departments: "An Act relative to military grade controlled property" (H.2144). State senator Michael Barrett (D-Lexington) introduced a Senate companion, SD1409.