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New Jersey sheriff delays acquiring military vehicles
Sheriff Michael Saudino in Bergen County, New Jersey, will delay the acquisition of two mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles from the Department of Defense.
The disclosure follows the crisis in Ferguson, Missouri, where civil rights protesters faced a police department outfitted for warfare.
Before the Ferguson unrest, the ACLU of New Jersey had asked Saudino to withdraw his department’s application for the military vehicles.
And on Aug. 29, the ACLU’s public policy director, Ari Rosmarin, said, “We applaud Sheriff Saudino for listening to Bergen County residents and putting the brakes on his plan to bring two battlefield vehicles to the streets of Bergen County.
“As the ACLU-NJ cautioned weeks ago, militarizing local law enforcement could come with troubling ramifications for Bergen County communities, and the people of Bergen County must have a chance to weigh in before such a decision is made in their name.”
The ACLU said that the county is not a war zone and the sheriff’s department does not need to militarize.
