President Barack Obama is calling on more public awareness and debate regarding military equipment that is distributed to local law enforcement agencies. Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner says she would welcome such discussions.
The city of Syracuse has obtained some military equipment in the past, including an armored vehicle. Miner says the police department wouldn’t use it as part of police tactics.
“It is mostly designed for storm events and national security emergencies and preparedness, not to be used for police tactics in neighborhoods,” said the mayor.
The call for debate by the Obama administration came with the announcement of a ban on certain kinds of military equipment being distributed to local law enforcement agencies.
Miner says encouraging openness in the process is fine with her, noting that it would be one of several issues that police and the community discuss.
"If adding a discussion about military equipment, it would be just one more discussion that we have. As you’ve seen here in the city of Syracuse, we have not used a lot of it, and we have not rolled it out as we have seen in other cities, in other places.”
The Obama administration ban comes in the wake of a report on police-community relations, and as part of a policy intended to relieve tensions between police and minority communities.
