Is Posse Comitatus dead in our country? Wyoming police & military collaborate to fight drunk driving.
The Posse Comitatus Act (18 U.S.C. § 1385), passed on June 18, 1878, following the end of Reconstruction, restricts the federal government from using the military in state and local law enforcement. The statute specifically prohibits the Army and Air Force and units of the National Guard under federal authority from acting in a law enforcement capacity.
The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878:
“Whoever, except in cases and under circumstances expressly authorized by the Constitution or Act of Congress, willfully uses any part of the Army or the Air Force as a posse comitatus or otherwise to execute the laws shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both,” 18 U.S.C. § 1385 states. http://www.dojgov.net/posse_comitatus_act.htm
Cheyenne, WY — In a first-of-its-kind collaboration, F.E. Warren Air Force Base will collaborate with state and local governments and law enforcement to cut down on underage and irresponsible drinking, officials announced Tuesday.
The $300,000-per-year program, funded with federal dollars, will step up education and enforcement efforts to combat alcohol use among minors and abuse among adults, Gov. Matt Mead said at a State Capitol press conference alongside Cheyenne Police Chief Brian Kozak and Col. Christopher Coffelt, commander of the 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren.
The program, which is an expansion of a similar effort at F.E. Warren, will look to find the best ways to educate people about the dangers of drunken driving, underage drinking and drinking to excess.
State, local and military police will also work together under the program to crack down on drunk people who disobey the law.
http://trib.com/news/local/state-and-regional/article_1168030f-bcc6-51c5-9b97-689c20100913.html