Posted on 11/24/2015 2:41:46 PM PST by markomalley
Valuable vehicles and equipment are being yanked from law enforcement agencies across the country by the Obama administration in the wake of the president’s post-Ferguson order — as sheriffs and lawmakers tell FoxNews.com the equipment is needed, and losing it could put officers and the communities they serve in danger.
“These things are useful tools and the president taking them away will put more officers in jeopardy and at risk of harm or even death. I don’t know how he can sleep at night knowing his actions will have those repercussions,” Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., told FoxNews.com.
President Obama issued Executive Order 13688 in January after the 2014 riots in Ferguson, Mo., amid concerns about the “militarization” of the police fueling a heavy-handed response.
The controversy circled around the 1033 program, set up by the Defense Department in 1997. The program authorizes the Pentagon to send excess military equipment such as armored tracked vehicles, camouflage uniforms and weapons to local law enforcement agencies for no cost. Supporters of the program say it saves money for local agencies, strengthens those agencies and allows the U.S. to get a second use out of existing equipment.
Obama’s order set up a working group to provide recommendations on changes. The group, headed by officials at the Defense Department, Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice, then drew up a list of items that would either be controlled or prohibited entirely from being acquired via the 1033 program.
“We’ve seen how militarized gear can sometimes give people a feeling like there’s an occupying force, as opposed to a force that’s part of the community that’s protecting them and serving them. It can alienate and intimidate local residents, and send the wrong message. So we’re going to prohibit some equipment made for the battlefield that is not appropriate for local police departments,” Obama said in May when the report was released.
Items on the prohibited list include armored tracked vehicles, weaponized aircraft and vehicles, .50-caliber firearms and ammo, bayonets, and camouflage.
And now the feds are looking to collect.
A recall of items on the prohibited list that had been handed out via the 1033 program went into effect on Oct. 1, and law enforcement agencies have until April 1, 2016, to return them, a spokeswoman for the Pentagon’s Defense Logistics Agency told FoxNews.com.
Sheriffs using the program are outraged, saying that the main focus of the initial backlash – the armored tracked vehicles – are purely defensive vehicles that save lives in crisis situations, and double as rescue vehicles in areas with rough terrain.
Sheriff Mike Bouchard of Oakland County, Mich., told FoxNews.com of a situation in which an active shooter was holed up in his house shooting out of the windows, hitting nearby homes. Bouchard said they were able to use the vehicle to evacuate residents from houses, while also protecting police officers from being shot. During the siege, over 500 rounds of ammunition were exchanged.
“There’s no question that saved lives,” Bouchard, who is also a former senatorial and gubernatorial candidate, said. “We have letters from people we evacuated saying ‘we don’t know what you could have done to save us without that armored vehicle.‘”
Bouchard said the federal government’s crackdown on the equipment is an example of the disconnect between Obama’s claims and reality.
“His verbiage calls these tanks. These aren’t tanks. There is no offensive weaponry mounted on a tracked armored vehicle in any police department. These are big safe boxes,” he said.
The vehicles themselves aren’t banned, only those distributed under the 1033 program. However, many counties received their vehicles free-of-charge, and won’t be able to afford to buy one of their own – something they say makes their officers less safe.
“Our agency is not big, we have a total of 130 employees, and we don’t have quarter-of-a-million-dollar budget to buy one,” Sheriff Larry Amerson of Calhoun County, Ala., told FoxNews.com. “The 1033 program gave us the opportunity to get that for free, which was in my view a no brainer.”
Amerson added that in the light of the Paris terror attacks, the president’s order is even more concerning.
“As has been demonstrated in Paris, the potential for those kind of attacks is there, and the response to those attacks in the U.S. will be local law enforcement and whatever resources we have on hand now will be what we can bring to the table if that happens,” he said.
“Sheriffs are very angry. It’s a tool in our toolbox being taken away from us based on perception. When we show up with a piece of equipment to save lives it can’t always look safe and cozy,” Laney told FoxNews.com.
I agree that this is a good thing; there is no reason for us to live in communities like defeated people with an occupying enemy force around us. This nonsense has gotten like something out of the defeated districts in “The Hunger Games”.
Local cops should only have the same tools available as those they “police” (meaning the taxpayers who pay them and buy their equipment).
I have an idea, buy your own weapons and shoot back next time. It's not our fault you aren't prepared. My 80 year old hill raised grandmother wouldn't hesitate for a second to shoot back, and that's no exaggeration either. What's wrong with you?
Well, since most criminal gangs have armored vehicle mounted Quad 50s, the police are REALLY going to be in a world of hurt now...
I think you will see that His Arrogance is only taking the equipment back from red state police or unreliable (non-progressive) sheriffs in Blue states. All the ghetto police forces such as NYC, LA, Baltimore, etc. will keep the equipment.
“the local police departments claiming that they are attempting to recover stolen local / state tax revenues.”
Except they’re not doing that. They just want Uncle Sugar to keep giving them “free” shit. If this Sheriff wants an APC let him convince his local taxpayers to fund it.
L
Our Dear Leader is taking back the weapons from sheriffs to get ready for Martial Law. Too many sheriffs have said “stick it” when it comes to confiscation of firearms.
When I saw a thread on this earlier, I thought it’s a good thing to end the militarization of the police. But on rethinking it, this might be a pre-emptive move on the Admin’s part in response to the positive reaction the GOP candidates are getting from their anti-illegals and anti-refugee positions that defend the rights of actual citizens. Could be that the Admin sees this as another way to disarm the People in the event a majority is able to organize against whatever oppressive gubmit impositions he has planned before his term is up.
Even a stopped clock is right twice a day. Police departments don’t need military equipment. They don’t need APCs. They don’t need full auto weapons for that matter. I’d strip it all away and send it back to the national guard, or let civilians buy it.
With all due respect Lurker, you are missing the point.
How can the local taxpayers afford to fund an APC for sheriff out of their own pockets when the feds keep on stealing money from the locals wallets through unconstitutional federal taxes, taxes that corrupt Congress cannot justify under its constitutional Article I, Section 8-limited powers?
And I would not be surprised if the sheriff does not know any better then the locals do that all the taxpayers in their community are being robbed by the feds every time they send in their federal taxes.
While what you say holds water, look at he flip side - he is also taking away equipment that could be useful if governors/sheriffs decided the feds had overstepped their bounds...
This is an issue that causes me to feel torn - hate for local cops to be so militarized, but Obama's EO on this also makes me uncomfortable about what the government is up to.
There is allegedly a Chinese saying that you can conquer a country on horseback, but you can't rule it from horseback. The same applies to tanks and APCs. Eventually the tax collectors have to mingle among the people. Then they're vulnerable.
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