Small-town police stations load up on free military gear they don't need, and aren't closely monitored

Small-town police stations are beefing up their military supplies using a free-for-all program through "the National Defense Authorization Act that permits the transfer to law-enforcement agencies of military property no longer needed" by the Department of Defense, Michael Kunzelman reports for The Associated Press. "a disproportionate share of the $4.2 billion worth of property distributed since 1990 has been obtained by police departments and sheriff's offices in rural areas with few officers and little crime." (Dayton Daily News photo: Englewood, Ohio Police Officer Doug Hacker with M-16 rifles received though the program)

Nearly 13,000 agencies, in all states and four U.S. territories, participate in the program. In the 2012 fiscal year a record $546 million worth of property was transferred. But the program is rarely monitored, and requests are being granted for millions of dollars worth of supplies that police stations can't use, such as scuba equipment in areas with no water, and helicopter parts for stations that don't have a helicopter.

"Staffing shortages and budget constraints have made it difficult for federal and state program officials to keep track of all of the property and to prevent police forces from obtaining excessive amounts of used military equipment and other Defense Department-transferred property," Kunzelman writes. Participants are expected to take only what they need. But that hasn't been the case.

Rising Star, Tex., which only has one full-time officer and 835 residents, acquired more than $3.2 million worth of property, including nine televisions, 11 computers, three deep-fat fryers, two meat slicers, 22 large space heaters, a pool table, 25 sleeping bags, and playground equipment,  Kunzelman reports. Morven, Ga., a town of 700, has received $4 million worth of property, including a decontamination machine missing most of its parts, 20 blankets, 10 two-man combat tents, a hammock, four demagnetizers, two leg curl machines, a shoulder press, a leg press, two treadmills, 20 red gym shorts, 20 fitted bed sheets, 50 flat bed sheets, 355 sandbags and a shipment of bayonets.

The property is not to be used for personal purposes, and can't be sold or given away without permission, Kunzelman writes. The Defense Logistics Agency in Battle Creek, Mich., oversees use of the equipment, and sometimes suspends recipients for improper use, but "Many state program coordinators say they have the staff and funding to conduct only a handful of on-site inspections annually — if at all." The Defense Department is required to conduct program compliance reviews of each state program every two years, but many states have often gone much longer without one. (Read more)