LET: January - On Your Watch

As I write this, the U.S. Congress, the president and others are closely scrutinizing military surplus programs that allow police departments to acquire used equipment. I’m afraid that what they’re going to find will make them nullify or shackle a useful program with such unreasonable controls that it will become almost impossible for departments to obtain things they really do need to ensure both officer and civilian safety. And part of the problem falls squarely on the shoulders of the departments that have abused these programs in the past.

The vast majority of law enforcement agencies have wisely chosen and deployed the vital equipment they’ve obtained from the Section 1033 Program. This program, which in most jurisdictions is used to support and supplement SWAT and other tactical operations, generally provides items like the ones described on the South Carolina government surplus website: “Body armor, night vision equipment, APC's, aircraft, first aid supplies, weapons, surveillance equipment, Kevlar helmets, gas masks and filters, vehicles, etc.”

The National Tactical Officers Association recognized the grave threat that overreaction to the events in Ferguson, Mo., on the parts of some in the federal government could pose to this vital and irreplaceable program, which gives towns, counties and cities a chance to protect their citizens at a much higher level of efficiency and safety, and immediately began to lobby Congress to keep it in place. In truth, if police are denied this vital gear, it could mean taking huge chunks out of the budgets of jurisdictions that can ill afford those kinds of costs or officers going into very dangerous situations underequipped and outgunned. That is simply not acceptable. And it makes no sense to destroy equipment that can be used to save lives because of a political kneejerk reaction.

But bear in mind that while these programs are under scrutiny, so are past acquisitions and some of the items that have been offered — and acquired — by departments across this country are pretty ridiculous.

A 2012 investigation into Tennessee’s military property acquisitions by The Tennessean found that Tennessee departments received everything from helicopters to boats to remote bomb-squad robots. It’s hard to argue against those items. However, some other acquisitions racked up by state agencies are little more difficult to justify. One sheriff’s department, for example, inexplicably obtained “a clarinet, a cornet, a flugelhorn, an electric guitar, a Precision bass, two saxophones, four sousaphones and three trumpets.” Hard to see where any of these items relate to police work and, since department are prohibited from selling items they receive from the program, the question is, what did they do with this stuff?

Nationwide, departments have received inexplicable surplus, ranging from a decontamination unit that needed $100,000 worth of work to make functional, to a pool table to deep-fat fryers. But, despite the poor judgment some have displayed, their misguided decisions should not supplant the need that many departments have for the heavy and expensive military-grade gear they receive to support their SWAT units.

Law enforcement officers have a lot on their plates right now and SWAT is definitely under a microscope. With terrorist threats at a high level and more expected of police, despite tinier budgets and dwindling incentive to stay in the profession, departments are finding it more and more difficult to stay on mission. Taking away equipment critical to officer safety and impacting an agency’s ability to protect its community to the fullest is a terrible mistake. And it’s one that, if made, will come back to haunt those making it.

We need to save these programs, but use them wisely.