What Trump’s Military Surplus Reversal Means for Michigan Police Departments
WDET’s Jake Neher and Michigan Public Radio’s Cheyna Roth say the issue is ’emblematic’ of a larger conundrum for police
Police departments can once again receive certain surplus equipment from the military.
The Trump administration this week reversed a ban on the practice put in place under President Obama.
WDET’s Jake Neher and Michigan Public Radio’s Cheyna Roth talk about what that means for police departments here in Michigan, and why the ban came about in the first place.
Roth says Michigan police officials tell her they tend to use the practice to obtain things such as cold weather clothing and other protective equipment.
“They’re excited about this ban being lifted because now they can have those things without having to take money out of their — let’s face it — not always very generous budgets,” she says.
Neher notes that the issue comes down “in the middle of a huge national conversation about this crossroads that the entire criminal justice system is facing right now,” regarding tough-on-crime attitudes toward criminal justice versus community policing and rehabilitation.
Click on the audio player above to hear the full conversation.
