Political scientist Tom Clark (IMAGE) Louisiana State University Caption "This is a cautionary tale about the importance of oversight. The most important thing for policy makers and the public to know is that you can't justify giving surplus military equipment to police departments on the grounds it will lead to a reduction in crime. There is no evidence for that. You can't claim this program is important because it reduces crime," said co-author Tom Clark, Charles Howard Candler Professor of Political Science at Emory. Credit Emory University Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.