Political Quotes

On the recordJune 10, 2015
On May 28, 2014, narcotics agents, assisted by members of the Habersham County, Georgia, Special Response Team, executed a no-knock search warrant on a home on a quiet street. Officers terrified the sleeping family but did not find any drugs when they entered the home. During the raid, a 2-year-old child, baby Bou Bou, was badly burned when the officers tossed a flash-bang grenade into his playpen which was located in a darkened room. The officers justified their actions by saying that their intelligence indicated that there would be no children present. Mr. Chairman, as an editorial in The Washington Post noted: ``A flash-bang grenade is an explosive device that emits a deafening boom and a blinding flash of light. It is designed to temporarily stun the occupants of a building so that the armed men who deployed it can clear the building. It is an instrument of war.'' My amendment is simple. It would prohibit the transfer of flash-bang grenades from the Department of Defense to local law enforcement. The Department of Defense's 1033 program has helped to sometimes distort the relationship between the police and the communities they serve by allocating over $5 billion in surplus military equipment to local police, including flash-bang grenades. Nothing in current law prevents the military from giving police, including school and university police departments, flash-bang grenades.…
Said by
Hank Johnson
Democratic · Georgia

Share

More from Hank Johnson

Jun 12, 2024

The MAGA Republicans are trying to make the American people believe a false narrative...

congress.gov
Mar 2, 2025

Fireworks, is what Johnson, R-La., said he expects from Trump’s speech, dismissing as nonsense concerns that Congress is ceding too much power to the White House.

apnews.com
Jun 12, 2024

Commuter rail is a crucial component of the public transportation network, offering efficient, safe, and climate-friendly transit for millions of people in major metropolitan areas.

congress.gov
Dec 3, 2024

I support this legislation, and I encourage my colleagues to do the same. I yield back the balance of my time.

govinfo.gov

Other voices in this conversation