Week In Review: Police And Long Guns, Presidential Economic Policies, Murder Of Vanessa Marcotte

We begin our week in review with the controversy over Boston police and the weapons they carry. Community leaders called a letter sent by the heads of three Boston police unions "racist" and "overly aggressive." The union heads were demanding better armor and more powerful weaponry, including semi-automatic rifles and shotguns.

Supporters, like retired Boston Police Superintendent Daniel Linskey, say the weapons are essential in an era where police are called upon to respond to, and are often the targets of, terrorism.

"The rank and file of the police department has been feeling the need to be better equipped to respond to these situations," Linskey said on Thursday. "It's not to be deployed until needed, and it's not to be deployed haphazardly."

But community leaders like Michael Curry with the Boston NAACP say these weapons could be misused:

"You give more tools to law enforcement, where you'll see them more in communities of color," Curry warned. "So you'll end up seeing in situations that would have been handled differently, you will start seeing law enforcement come in with long guns."

We'll talk this and the week's other news including the economic proposals of presidential nominees Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, and the murder of 27-year-old Vanessa Marcotte.

Renee Graham, contributor to WBUR and The Boston Globe. She tweets @reneeygraham.

Jim Stergios, executive director of the Pioneer Institute. He tweets @JimStergios.