The Cambridge City Council earlier this month rejected a policy order on police demilitarization proposed by Councilor Quinton Y. Zondervan that sparked bitter debate among both activists and politicians in Cambridge.
Zondervan, who chairs the councilâs public safety committee, proposed a policy order that called for the âdestruction and recyclingâ of all rifles and shotguns, and the âeliminationâ of Cambridge Police Departmentâs Lenco BearCat â a $350,000 armored vehicle which the Department acquired through a Department of Homeland Security grant.
CPD previously faced backlash for its possession of military-grade equipment, which came to light after the department supplied the city with an inventory of its possessions in 2020 following Commissioner Branville G. Bard, Jr.âs statement that CPD did not possess military equipment. Bard later clarified, however, that he meant the department âdid not possess materials that are only restricted to the military by law.â