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@ISIDEWITHQuestionsCriminal IssuesStarted 6yrs agoActive 2yrs ago

Should police departments be allowed to use military grade equipment?

In the U.S. police budgets are set by elected officials at local and state levels. In 2020 elected officials in New York, Seattle, Los Angeles and Minneapolis approved plans to reduce police budgets in response to the nationwide protests following the killing of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis. After the budget cuts many US cities saw a rise in crime, with murder rates up by double digits in many cities. In the last three months of 2020, homicides rose 32.2% in cities with a population of at least one million, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Quarterly…  

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Answer Overview

Response rates from 2.1m America voters.

48%
Yes
52%
No
30%
Yes
44%
No
9%
Yes, but only in response to extreme situations
7%
No, extreme situations should be handled by higher agencies with specialized training and equipment
9%
Yes, but with strict training on how and when to use the equipment
0%
No, and abolish the police

Historical Support

Trend of support over time for each answer from 2.1m America voters.

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Historical Importance

Trend of how important this issue is for 2.1m America voters.

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from America voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @7LPHL2F from Illinois  answered…5yrs5Y

Yes, but only in response to extreme situations with strict training on how and when to use the equipment.

 @Biblical89 from California  answered…5yrs5Y

Yes, but only in response to extreme situations and with strict training on how and when to use the equipment

 @8S6LP62 from Minnesota  answered…5yrs5Y

Yes, but only in extreme situations and with strict training on how and when to use the equipment.

 @8PHDH56 from New Jersey  answered…6yrs6Y

Yes, but only in response to extreme situations Yes, but with strict training on how and when to use the equipment

 @8R3BVHG from Florida  answered…5yrs5Y

Yes, but only in response to extreme situations and strict training on how and when to use the equipment.

 @8R2V449answered…5yrs5Y

Yes; but only in response to extreme situations and with strict training on how and when to use the equipment

 @8RNKJH9 from South Carolina  answered…5yrs5Y

define military grade

 @8Q6K5SR from New York  answered…5yrs5Y

Yes, but with strict training and only in response to extreme situations.

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2yrs2Y

Elizabeth Warren Walks Back Murder Comments

Congressional Democrats broadly denounced the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson Friday morning, after Republicans started accusing Sen. Elizabeth Warren of excusing violence.“No one's condoning this,” said Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.). “Violence never is the right answer for anything. And it was a horrible murder, a tragic loss for his family.” Warren this week condemned the shooting, but added that people “can be pushed only so far.”"We'll say it over and over," Warren said on MSNBC’S “The ReidOut.” " Violence is never the answer. This guy [Luigi Mangione] gets a trial who's allegedly killed the CEO of UnitedHealth, but you can only push people so far, and then they start to take matters into their own hands."In a statement to POLITICO, Warren said, “Violence is never the answer. Period. I should have been much clearer that there is never a justification for murder.” Top Republicans denounced Warren's comments and the walked-back rhetoric, with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) calling it “inappropriate and dangerous.”Some House Democrats asked about the incident on Thursday pivoted the conversation to discuss policy options on health care or gun safety.“I don't really know that this is really a space that Congress normally weighs in on,” said Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas). “But at the end of the day, I think it’s an opportunity, because now people are talking about health care and to talk about the fact that this industry has honestly not been as helpful as it could be.”“Violence is never the answer,” said Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.). “We know that there are people suffering, there’s great challenges in healthcare. There's great challenges, and people have, in fact, been wronged, but a process of governance is the way to address that, not violence.”And Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) who denounced the murder, said the killer should be prosecuted and that “I do know that allegedly a ghost gun was used, and we should also ban ghost guns. There's no reason for them beyond the streets.”

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About This Data

Based on 2.1m responses to this question.

These results come from iSideWith's ongoing political issues survey. We collect over a million responses per day, filter out duplicate and multiple submissions, and break the results down by political party, ideology, age, state, and census demographics (income, race, education, household).

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iSideWith. (2026). “Should police departments be allowed to use military grade equipment?” — Public Opinion Poll Results. Retrieved June 26, 2026, from https://www.isidewith.com/polls/4583042053

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