Ferguson, Mo., crisis echoes in Bergen County debate
AUGUST 14, 2014, 9:27 PM LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2014, 12:11 AM
BY JEAN RIMBACH AND JOHN C. ENSSLIN
STAFF WRITERS
THE RECORD
What had been a local debate over the use of surplus military armored vehicles for law enforcement in Bergen County intensified Thursday when U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder criticized the use of similar equipment to quell looting and civil unrest in Ferguson, Mo.
Holder issued a statement that condemned the violence by both civilians and police in the aftermath of the fatal shooting Saturday of an unarmed black 18-year-old by a white police officer. He also questioned the use of military vehicles that Ferguson police obtained through a federal program.
“At a time when we must seek to rebuild trust between law enforcement and the local community, I am deeply concerned that the deployment of military equipment and vehicles sends a conflicting message,” Holder stated. “At my direction, Department officials have conveyed these concerns to local authorities.”
His remarks drew immediate parallels to the debate now raging in Bergen County, where the Sheriff’s office has moved to obtain two MRAPs – “mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles” – through a U.S. Department of Defense program that has distributed some 600 of the vehicles to law enforcement agencies around the country in the past year.
The issue also has become a major factor in Bergen political races this year, including County Executive Kathleen Donovan’s bid for re-election.
Donovan has questioned the move by Bergen Sheriff Michael Saudino, a fellow Republican, to acquire the vehicles, saying that it unnecessarily “militarizes” police operations in Bergen County.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/u-s-attorney-general-criticizes-use-of-armored-military-vehicles-to-quell-civil-unrest-1.1067809#sthash.92ksafoC.dpuf
