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Saturday, August 16, 2014

Maryland Police Receive Millions In Military Gear

Local police departments in Maryland have received more than $12 million in excess equipment from the U.S. military — from a $400,000 "mine-resistant vehicle" to a set of a dozen spoons valued at $3.06 apiece — through a federal program that has come under bipartisan scrutiny.

In all, local law enforcement agencies in the state have received more than 2,000 assault rifles, 873 semi-automatic handguns and 220 12-gauge shotguns from the Department of Defense Excess Property Program since 2006, according to Pentagon data made public Friday.

Unused military equipment has flowed freely to police for years, but the practice received renewed attention last week after officers were seen in Ferguson, Mo., wearing camouflage and driving armored vehicles. Police and residents in Ferguson have clashed after the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, on Aug. 9.

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9 comments:

Anonymous said...

ONE QUESTION... Do you want your son or daughter (or grandchild) working as a police officer in this country. The question has nothing to do with equipment or money. YES OR NO.

Anonymous said...

NO!

Anonymous said...

It's about time Congress took a look at this practice. There's no reason for a civil police department to have bomb proof vehicles or thousands of select fire ARs except maybe to defend a corrupt tyrannical government. Perhaps that's the premiss behind it, who knows. What I do know though, is that Congress needs to also look into the militarized training and brainwashing being given to leos. There's no need to treat EVERY law enforcement issue as if it were a militant uprising.

Anonymous said...

YES

Anonymous said...

"There's no reason for a civil police department to have bomb proof vehicles or thousands of select fire ARs".

Depends upon the situation. Right this minute, in Ferguson MO, I'd like to see the cops deploy some Hellfire missles. Wouldn't bother me a damn bit.

Anonymous said...

I saw on facebook the other day that Wico Sheriff's office just got a new vehicle. I doubt they will let Mike drive it since he proabably can't see over the steering wheel.

Anonymous said...

9:15 Accepting that vehicle was a mistake. There are many places that vehicle can't go because it weighs 48,000 pounds. It's a toy for the sheriff to play with. Where and when will it be used and for what purpose? What about maintenance costs?

Anonymous said...

why would anyone want to be a kop? if you don't shoot you are screwed, if you do shoot you are screwed! as a kop you are basically the bait being used by the system to ferret out the bad guys. Good luck 8:14.

Anonymous said...

They need to make a video. Cops gone wild. The number of unarmed people they kill every year is rediculese