Since 1997, more than $4.3 billion worth of military equipment has been distributed to local police departments across the nation through the Department of Defense’s 1033 Program.
From this program, more than 117 college and university police departments are obtaining weapons, such as M16s and grenade launchers. This trend of militarizing local police is becoming an epidemic, and it’s time we start talking about it.
Police departments obtaining equipment or weapons from the federal 1033 programs are not required to be transparent about their transactions. There is little to no transparency conveying to the community as to why these weapons are needed. It is time for us, as University of Wisconsin students, faculty and staff to be proactive in addressing this issue. It’s time we start seeking and demanding community control over our police.
The Movement for Black Lives recently released a platform seeking to revolutionize social and political structures for the development of the black community. In that platform, there is a demand to demilitarize local law enforcement, including at colleges, universities and school districts.
In tandem with the national Movement for Black Lives, the Associated Students of Madison has taken proactive steps toward demilitarizing campus police. ASM passed legislation demanding Chancellor Rebecca Blank to be transparent about the military equipment acquired by the University of Wisconsin Police Department. Transparency creates an opportunity for students to organize and hold our university accountable.
Recognizing that UWPD is here to serve our campus community, we seek control and insight. Movements on our campus, such as the UW BlackOut Movement, #TheRealUW and Blindside have been on the forefront in fighting for students. There is no need for any student, black or white, male or female, to feel unsafe on this campus.
Students have a right, enshrined by state statute, to participate in the governance of institutions affecting student life. There are more than 70 shared governance committees with student seats influencing a breadth of campus entities, including the Union, University Health Services, Athletic Board, RecSports, and committees for hiring new administrators and reviewing campus policies. But there is no institutional mechanism for students to maintain a relationship with their campus police.
The lack of community control over UWPD is an atrocity and it must continue to be addressed. Let’s take a stand, unite and make an effort to understand the movement.
We no longer need to solely engage in dialogue, we must take action.
When we think about a militarized police force, we must recognize the potential social and psychological impact it has on students. We must recognize how our current campus climate will be impacted. More importantly, we must recognize the potential it has to negatively affect our trust in our campus police. We as a university need to start taking this issue seriously. Let’s not be on the list of over 130 schools under scrutiny for acquiring these weapons.
It is the duty of our school’s administration to ensure transparency, but it is also our duty as students to make sure we are holding them accountable. No longer should there be minimal community control. It’s time to change the culture, and to make demilitarization and community control over campus police tangible.
Reginald Thedford, Jr. is an ASM Law School Rep.