By Ashlee BanksSpecial to the AFRO
Consultant Hank Johnson (D-Ga.-4), re-introduced laws on March 10, 2026, aimed toward limiting the Division of Protection’s means to switch surplus army {hardware} to home legislation enforcement companies. The invoice, the Cease Militarizing Legislation Enforcement Act of 2026, focuses on reforming the 1033 Program, an initiative that has seen greater than $8 billion in army gear moved to native precincts since its inception.
Rep. Johnson informed the AFRO, that demilitarization and de-escalation have to be a precedence for Congress.
“Our nation’s founders acknowledged that overgrown army institutions, which our police forces are slowly changing into, are a menace to liberty and a free republic. They warned us about it then, and 250 years later, their warning is extra related than ever,” stated Rep. Johnson.
“Cooler heads can prevail in instances of disaster, however not if Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected automobiles, generally known as MRAPs, are patrolling our public areas,” added the Georgia lawmaker. “The enemy inside is armed escalation, and we needs to be doing every thing in our energy to dismantle it.”
The legislative push follows long-standing information suggesting that the militarization of police departments disproportionately impacts Black and brown. Researchers from Standford College printed a report within the Social Psychological and Persona Science Journal in 2023, displaying that the deployment of armored automobiles and tactical weaponry is concentrated in minority neighborhoods, the place the presence of such gear typically correlates with a rise in deadly pressure and a lower in group belief.
The invoice seeks to codify restrictions on this system to forestall the coverage shifts which have occurred between successive presidential administrations. Whereas govt orders beneath the Obama and Biden administrations beforehand restricted the scope of apparatus transfers, these orders have been rescinded in the course of the Trump administration in 2017 and once more in 2025. By pursuing a legislative treatment, the invoice would set up a everlasting ban on the switch of particular gadgets, together with weaponized drones, long-range acoustic units, grenade launchers, and specialised fight automobiles.
U.S. Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.-4) informed the AFRO, that the tactical burden of those transfers will not be distributed equally throughout American communities.
“Once they roll out this type of weaponry, the militarized tanks and heavy artillery, they do it in predominantly Black and brown neighborhoods,” stated the Maryland lawmaker.
“Incessantly these are the communities which have the least means to defend themselves or use their constitutional rights to free speech,” Ivey added. “It’s completely oppressive.”
Along with prohibiting sure {hardware}, the Cease Militarizing Legislation Enforcement Act introduces new oversight mechanisms. It could require recipient companies to offer a strict accounting of all military-grade belongings to forestall the loss or unauthorized resale of apparatus. The invoice additionally prohibits legislation enforcement companies from “re-gifting” surplus gadgets to different departments and implements enhanced monitoring to make sure the Division of Protection maintains visibility of the gear’s use.
The invoice is supported by a coalition of 19 unique cosponsors and varied advocacy teams, together with the American Civil Liberties Union and Amnesty Worldwide USA.
Nina Patel, ACLU Senior Coverage Counsel Justice Division, stated in an announcement, that if Rep. Johnson’s invoice is enacted into legislation, it’ll guarantee that policing is “grounded in accountability, transparency, and certain by the Structure.”
“Armored automobiles and battlefield weapons are supposed to intimidate and escalate battle and don’t have any place in American streets and communities,” she continued.
Rep. Ivey informed the AFRO, that he appears to be like ahead to supporting the measure.
“This isn’t a army assault. Congressman Johnson’s laws makes a whole lot of sense,” stated the Democratic lawmaker. “[Militarizing] the police is harmful and will get the police eager about residents within the mistaken method.”
The invoice is now headed to the Committee on Armed Companies and the Committee on the Judiciary.
