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Ordinance Supplementing the Pittsburgh Code of Ordinances, Title One, Administrative, Article One, General Provisions, Chapter 103, Official Standards, by adding a new section, 103.05 - Prohibition on Acquisition of Military Equipment or Weaponry.
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Whereas, it has become increasingly more difficult to distinguish a local police department from a standing military force; and,
Whereas, Humvees, still in camouflage and mounted with machine guns, in the hands of municipal police are becoming more and more common; and,
Whereas, as local police forces become more and more militarized, both with weapons and tactics, the safety of the public comes into question; and,
Whereas, the militarization of local police forces has led to a shocking increase of fatal police encounters; and,
Whereas, the Department of Defense, through its surplus programs, has armed and continues to arm local police forces with assault rifles, personnel carriers and other ordinance ; and,
Whereas, the citizens of Pittsburgh do not wish to see incidents happen here as they have happened in other places in the nation; and,
Be it therefore resolved that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby enact as follows:
Section 1: The Pittsburgh Code of Ordinances, Title One, Administrative, Article One, General Provisions, Chapter 103, Official Standards is hereby supplemented as follows:
Chapter 103.05 - Prohibition on Acquisition of Military Equipment or Weaponry.
The City shall not participate in as purchaser, receiver, lessee or grantee, any Federal or State program for the acquisition of military ordinance, armament, vehicles or any other weaponry.
The City shall not participate in the Law Enforcement Support (LES) Program administered by the Department of Defense authorized by Title 10, United States Code, § §2576-2576a, known as the “1208” or “1033” Programs or their successor programs.
The City shall not acquire, as purchaser, receiver, lessee or grantee, any ...
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