Since Cottage Grove received its first military equipment in November from the 1033 program — six night vision viewers, each valued at $10,427.10 — it has acquired 461 other types of surplus gear whose total listed value exceeds $1 million.Sgt. Brad Petersen, who supervises Cottage Grove's participation in the Pentagon program, says the chief reason his police department joined that decades-old initiative was to get a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected, or MRAP, armored personnel carrier.
The vehicle, originally designed for forces fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan and meant to withstand improvised explosive device blasts, technically remains controlled property of the Department of Defense, as does all equipment transferred to law enforcement agencies that is of a strictly military nature.
"We rushed it back into service when things started to go sideways here," says Petersen, who is also a commander on Washington County's 36-member SWAT team. "The first time we used it was the week of civil unrest." According to DLA records, a request from its police for four"riot control kits," worth $35,000 each, was made in February for"crowd control operations" but was rejected on the grounds the department had not submitted required paperwork.Petersen says the bayonets his force recently received through the Pentagon program were intended to be used as utility knives rather than mounted on rifle barrels.
Source: Law Daily Report (lawdailyreport.net)
This is first time I’ve quoted the Bible, but this verse came to mind: Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’ Joel 3:10 DefundThePolice
They are afraid of the power of protests.
My small town also has a tank, that they use for parades and holidays. Money well spent for sure.....
Hope the Pentagon takes the equipment back - immediately.
It’s hardly ”surplus” when they have better quality gear than most US Marines fighting overseas.
What does any police department in the US need with a MRAP?
The just proves how outdated, racist, and the weak are our over armed police forces really are. We need a new municiple safety and law enforcement system sans military grade armament.
With lax law enforcement, no bail arrests, felonies reduced to misdemeanors and skyrocketing crime, you have earned yourself a police state. Hope you liberals are happy.
Why do our police departments have military vehicles, arms and uniforms with body armor while in England the police aren’t even armed?!? This is a big part of our problem!!!
Ridiculous. Overkill. Stupid.
There is no reason for our police to have these military items.
Meanwhile teachers have to buy crayons for their kids.
The US demiliterizes US bases with private security but militerizes the police. This made sense to people?
Oh hi. This is the National Guard. Can we have that equipment please?
Dumb Dems proved it was wise.
the think blue line is pathetic.
🤢🤢🤮🤮🤮🤮...warlike arms against citizens...disgusting! When you are a hammer, everything looks like a nail
So all victims at last where killed by tanks. Shut up, npr
Can they be converted into bookmobiles?
“Beneficiaries”? More like “victims.”
We should probably not do this anymore
Getting loaded up for russian Republicans take over.
what a waste of money.... what has the pentagon to do with local police departments?
Defund the NPR
Did not know this. Embarrassed for my city.
This one is next door to me in the very white, middle class city of New Hope, MN. (Minneapolis suburb).
They forgot to read the fine print in the purchase agreement where it says **not to be used against our own citizens--strictly Nakatomi Tower type situations only **
All the more reason to vote Biden! He's already said he's ready to take away all that juicy federal funding if local departments don't adhere to federal reform. That means alot fewer toys to play with. Remember, taking away federal funding is all the fed can do to get compliance
Trump 2020
This not small government.
As much as I don't rate trump at all. This buying upnof ex military equipment started back around the end of the Iraq war
Difficult to have sympathy for the cause with this going on all over the country.
who knew the spoils of war would be a militarized police force?
Why were they lined up against peaceful protesters instead of patrolling the business districts to prevent looting? Seems they failed on every level.
Why do they need military gear?
Shit, if you/we live in a community where the police need THAT kind of equipment...maybe you/we should seriously consider moving the hell out!
Demilitarize local police.
I wonder if this thing has it’s own ventilator?
Gotta keep that military industrial complex a-goin! :P
Wow big story. Much journalism.
NPR gets millions of taxpayer dollars to spread propaganda for the Democrat party.
Demilitarize the police by defunding them DefundPolice
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