President Barack Obama announced Monday that police departments around the country will receive less "military style" equipment.
Federal agencies have provided some gear to police departments over the past 20 years or so that closely resemble the types of weapons, protective equipment and vehicles used by armed forces.
"Certain kinds of equipment just don’t make sense," said Cecilia Munoz, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council. "You don’t need camouflage gear in a city, for example."
Southern Connecticut State University Police Chief Joseph Dooley is the president of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association and said the action by the White House is consistent with what he's seen across the country and around Connecticut.
"Some of the things that have come up have to do with a vehicle looking like a military vehicle, which is something I completely understand," said Dooley.
He said armored vehicles all double as all-terrain vehicles during severe weather issues like floods and snow storms. Dooley said they are useful for rescue operations that regular trucks and police cruisers just can't handle.
Hartford Police Deputy Chief Brian Foley said the department does have an armored vehicle but conceded, "I've never even seen it."
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Foley said the goal of the Hartford Police Department is to actually look like police officers in the community and not to be decked out in military-style armor.
"If you look at how we approach everything, we don’t want people to think that we’re military officers," Foley said.
He added that the police have a vital role which does require some extra equipment.
"We are the last line of defense and the first responders to a terrorist attack or a major weather event in the city here," Foley said.
Officials with the White House said it will implement a more stringent review process to determine what police departments need when it comes to extra gear and make sure training processes are in place for how to use the equipment.
"You do need other kinds of gear in certain circumstances, but the local police should describe what those circumstances are, and they should have training procedures in place to make sure they know how to use that equipment safely," Munoz said.
