ENSURING CIVILIAN SECURITY
Bridges Faith Initiative works to safeguard civilians in conflict, strengthen civil liberties, and end militarization at home and abroad. We reject torture and a foreign policy focused on wars. We seek to expand freedom of expression and privacy rights.
Ending the Military-to-Police Pipeline
Since 1990, the U.S. Defense Department has given $7.4 billion in military equipment to thousands of police forces across the country under the Law Enforcment Support (LESO or 1033) Program. Equipping U.S. police forces with military gear — with no oversight and often far in excess of what the police can or should use on duty — distances those in Law Enforcement from the people and community they have sworn to serve.
Ending the 1122 Program
The 1122 Program allows US law enforcement agencies to purchase equipment and weapons through the federal government. The 1122 Program contributes to the dangerous militarization of United States police and the unnecessary increase of the Department of Defense budget. In this toolkit, we provide tools to advocate for abolition of the 1122 Program and other similar programs that contribute to the militarization of police, as well as for increased transparency of police reporting and reduced DOD budgets.