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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, For the greater part of 20 years, the United
3States Government has used the 1996 National Defense
4Authorization Act to allow the Defense Secretary to give local
5law enforcement agencies the Defense Department's excess
6military equipment at no cost to the agency; and
 
7    WHEREAS, New and used material, including Mine-Resistant
8Ambush Protected vehicles and weapons determined by the
9Department of Defense to be "military grade" are transferred to
10local law enforcement; and
 
11    WHEREAS, The increased militarization of police throughout
12the United States has contributed to continuing abuses of
13police powers, which pose a serious threat to the
14constitutional rights of the American People, including
15residents of Illinois; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Militarized policing has deepened the divide
17between communities and police, reducing public trust in law
18enforcement officers; and
 
19    WHEREAS, The federal government and the State of Illinois
20have thus far failed to adequately provide reasonable
21long-lasting restrictions and oversight on the use of military

 

 

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1grade weapons by police; and
 
2    WHEREAS, In 2015, then-President Barack H. Obama took steps
3to demilitarize local police by banning tracked armored
4vehicles, bayonets, grenade launchers, camouflage uniforms,
5and large-caliber weapons and ammunition; and
 
6    WHEREAS, In 2017, President Donald J. Trump rolled back the
7Obama-era demilitarization policies, thereby allowing military
8equipment, typically used for warfare, to once again be
9distributed to local police agencies; and
 
10    WHEREAS, The right for the governor of a state to declare
11martial law has been seen as a given power in his or her
12position during extreme circumstances; and
 
13    WHEREAS, The existence of war between a state and a limited
14number of its citizens in a small geographical area, stemming
15from a rebellious act against the government, does not invoke
16the necessity of martial law in that territory; therefore, be
17it
 
18    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL
19ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we strongly oppose the
20partisan impulses and the lack of adequate solutions
21surrounding the demilitarization of police agencies; and be it

 

 

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1further
 
2    RESOLVED, That we do not believe the use of military grade
3weapons and gear by police, in either urban or rural settings,
4provides safety to the residents of those communities; and be
5it further
 
6    RESOLVED, That we urge the United States Congress to
7drastically reduce, if not eliminate, the amount of military
8equipment provided to local law enforcement agencies; and be it
9further
 
10    RESOLVED, That suspending ordinary law, more specifically
11as it pertains to searches and seizures, and replacing it with
12martial law holds no place in the State of Illinois, unless
13properly called for by the executive branch of the United
14States Government or the executive branch of the Illinois State
15Government; and be it further
 
16    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
17delivered to the President of the United States, to all members
18of the United States Senate, all members of the United States
19House of Representatives, all members of the Illinois General
20Assembly, and the Governor of the State of Illinois.