Jordan Kellam
Honors English
Ms. Salter
10/26/14
How Should the Police be Protecting Us?
Throughout
the years, America had soldiers protecting us throughout the world but then who
would protect us while they were away?
Police officers have been keeping the peace, upholding the
law, and executing justice. Now police
have been making more and more mistakes, causing citizens to doubt their intent
in keeping the community safe.
The police in Ferguson, Missouri have been supplied with military grade weaponry
from the U.S military including all-terrain military vehicles, rocket
launchers, assault rifles, and other combat rifles, yet they aren't the only
ones. This type of weaponry is being supplied to school districts and
universities across the state of Georgia. In
Georgia, three public school districts and six colleges and universities have
obtained these weapons just to protect students. Police say
they need these weapons to protect the school and its students, but I'm pretty
sure you don't need flash bangs and a rocket launcher to protect colleges or
high schools.
Leaders from about a dozen national organizations signed a
letter demanding that school police no longer are armed with military weapons.
Also last week, Congressman Hank Johnson filed the Stop Militarizing Law
Enforcement Act. If Congress approves the act, local police forces will be
banned from receiving certain weapons. Banned weapons would include tanks,
flash-bang grenades, rocket launchers and all guns greater than .50-caliber.
While I appreciate the police doing what they can to protect
us, this is simply too much. If things get out of hand what weapon of choice
would you want used against you, an assault rifle or a stun-gun that would
temporarily paralyze you until they put you in hand cuffs?
Works Cited:
Atlanta Journal and Constitution. In Georgia, police at some schools getting guns from military. Adapted by NewsEla Staff, September 30, 2014. <https://newsela.com/articles/weapons-georgiaschools/id/5380/>.
