(AURN News) — President Donald Trump’s latest executive order directing federal agencies to enhance support for law enforcement has sparked renewed fears over the militarization of local police and its potential impact on civil liberties.
The order, signed Monday, instructs the attorney general and other agency heads to “maximize the use of Federal resources” in support of state and local law enforcement. Among its directives: developing new best practices to “aggressively police communities,” increasing officer pay and benefits, seeking enhanced penalties for crimes against police, and investing in prison infrastructure.
Section 4, mandates that within 90 days, the attorney general and the secretary of defense “shall increase the provision of excess military and national security assets in local jurisdictions to assist State and local law enforcement.”
The order also calls for determining how military training, non-lethal capabilities, and personnel “can most effectively be utilized to prevent crime.”
With provisions that call for expanded use of military assets in local jurisdictions, the order is likely to renew public debate over the federal government’s role in shaping local law enforcement — and how far is too far when it comes to crime prevention.
Click play to listen to the AURN News report from Jamie Jackson:
