WASHINGTON ― The U.S. Senate voted 90-10 to ban military give-aways of some lethal military equipment, including weaponized tracked vehicles, to local police agencies. A broader version of proposal had passed the House earlier but lost 51-49 in the Senate. The House version banned armored war machines, with tracks or wheels, like the $865,000 mine-resistant wheeled vehicle that the Winona Sheriff’s Department received in 2016. The Winona vehicle has been used seven times, including a night-time SWAT situation in the Maplewood residential neighborhood that set off a social media firestorm of protests last week. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, favored the stronger House-approved bill. “The last month has made clear that weapons of war don’t belong in police departments,” Schatz said. “We saw the terrifying images: police in military gear storming the streets, combat vehicles rumbling down city blocks, rounds and rounds of tear gas shot at peaceful protesters, frequently without warning and often unprovoked. None of this helps anyone deescalate a crisis.”

Earlier: Police issue justification for SWAT, war machine

BRUTISH. Among dozens of variations of wheeled armored vehicles