There is no statistical evidence supporting the claims implied by this article or even the reversed claim that 'more aggressive' departments are seeking out mil

There is no statistical evidence supporting the claims implied by this article or even the reversed claim that 'more aggressive' departments are seeking out military equipment. > Regardless, there is no need, ever, for police to have the automatic weapons, APCs, and "non-lethal" weapons they are buying from the military. If they are facing an opponent like that then call in the FBI, who generally have much better training, or ATF (no idea about their training). I disagree with this. The police should have automatic weapons so they are able to overpower criminals and protect themselves in dangerous situations. I want my police department to be effective and safe. It is also important that they have non-lethal equipment to de-escalate situations safely when possible. As for APCs - if it is available as a surplus piece of equipment, why shouldn't they have it? It isn't something they use everyday. There aren't police departments using heavy gas guzzling APCs for daily patrol. They use it for rare situations like riots and shootouts. Your statement about the FBI and ATF doesn't make sense to me and makes me think you aren't aware of what those agencies actually do.