A government program to transfer unneeded military hardware to police stations has recently come under fire since violent protests broke out in Ferguson, Missouri, according to CNN. Police using high-powered rifles, stun grenades and armored vehicles have entered the media spotlight after hours of coverage on riots in Ferguson, and many people are asking how police forces got their hands on such powerful equipment.
The law enforcement support program
Two years after a heavily armed duo of gunmen committed a bank robbery in North Hollywood in 1997, the Defense Department Defense Logistics Agency started a program to give law enforcement officials military hardware that was not being used by the military, CNN reported. However, since the program's establishment, some citizens are asking whether weaponry designed for military purpose and servicemembers belongs in the hands of police forces. Government officials contend that the actions in Ferguson do not speak for the entire program in general, though.
"My hunch is that many of these [law enforcement] agencies out there would tell you that some of this equipment saves lives and protects citizens," Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby told reporters. "And so while we're all focused on what's going on in Ferguson … let's be careful not to throw the baby out with the bath water here."
Moreover, the government official stated that police stations must go through a particular registration process before obtaining any hardware made for military benefits.
"We don't push equipment on anybody … It is made available to law enforcement agencies if they want it and if they qualify for it," Kirby said. "There's a lot of due diligence here. This isn't some program run amok."
Supplying police with regulated equipment
Program 1033 – the official designation of the military hardware repurposing effort – is a congressionally mandated and funded initiative, according to Stars and Stripes. CNN reported that $450 million of military hardware had been given to law enforcement agencies in 2013 alone. Ferguson specifically has received two Humvees, one generator and one cargo trailer since 2007. However, the St. Louis County Police Department has received six pistols, 12 rifles, 15 weapon sites, an explosives disposal robot, three helicopters, seven Humvees and two night-vision devices, according to Kirby.
Some worry about how police forces use military equipment when they receive it. The military and Congress do not designate how the hardware must be used, according to Kirby.
"It's still up to local law enforcement to determine how and when and where and under what circumstances they use excess military equipment," Kirby told reporters.
Since the controversy in Ferguson has increased focus on police militarization, President Barack Obama has called for a review of the program, saying that looking at how funds are spent by police stations and how equipment is used may help to reinforce boundaries between the police and military, according to a press release.
"There is a big difference between our military and our local law enforcement and we don't want those lines blurred, that would be contrary to our traditions and I think that there will be some bipartisan interest in reexamining some of those programs," Obama said.