Army response to Alabama shootings?
The Alabama Department of Public Safety and CNSnews are reporting that military police based at the Army’s Ft. Rucker responded to last week’s murder spree in Southern Alabama.
According to CNSnews, the Department of Defense has begun an investigation into how and why the federal troops were deployed. No official statement is yet available on the principal DOD website. Under the so-called Posse Comitatus statute, use of federal troops to enforce the law is illegal except under very specific circumstances.
In recent months concern has been expressed regarding the potential role of federal military assets assigned to assist in domestic disaster response. If confirmed – and depending on how it is confirmed – the Ft. Rucker incident will further fuel such concern.
UPDATE: Regional coverage from the Dothan Eagle. National coverage from USA Today. Story published by the Army Times.
