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Events • September 12, 2014 

# Do American Police Departments Need Military Weapons from the Pentagon? 

Following the controversial use of military vehicles and weapons by the police in Ferguson, Missouri, President Obama ordered a review of federal programs that facilitate the flow of weaponry from the Pentagon to local police departments. These military transfers raise a host of questions. Do the police need armored vehicles, M‑16s, and grenade launchers to do their job effectively? Are the Pentagon programs adequately monitored? Should no-knock police raids be rare, or routine? Please join us for a wide-ranging discussion of modern American policing.

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This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/). 

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##### [David B. Kopel](/people/david-kopel)

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