California Shootings Validated Military Surplus Vehicles: Sheriffs

Oakland County returned its M-113 tracked armored vehicle to the Defense Department this week. (Oakland County Sheriff’s Office photo)

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An association of sheriffs representing the largest counties in America has sharply criticized a White House order requiring local police agencies to return some pieces of surplus military equipment, saying it leaves police officers at a disadvantage in situations like Wednesday’s mass shooting in San Bernardino, CA.

In a statement, the Alexandria, VA-based Major County Sheriffs’ Association said the California shooters, who were cloaked in tactical armor and heavily armor, “came prepared” and that police should, too.

The sheriffs, whose departments in the largest U.S. counties represent about 100 million Americans, said President Obama’s give-back order leaves the nation’s law enforcement officers less prepared and at a disadvantage to protect their communities from active shooters, terror attacks and other dangerous situations.

The recalled equipment includes tracked armored personnel carriers that police say allows them to move officers into dangerous situations more safely. In the mass shooting in California, police responded in several armored vehicles.

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“As recent events have shown, acts of terror and active shooters in the homeland are real and tangible,” said association member Oakland County, MI, Sheriff Michael Bouchard, whose department loaded up an M-113 armored personnel carrier for return to the Defense Department Thursday.

The sheriffs’ group said the need for the equipment was also demonstrated by last week’s attack on a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado, in which three people, including a police officer, were killed.

President Obama ordered a review of surplus military equipment acquired under the Defense Department’s 1033 program after the Ferguson, MO, riots stemming from the fatal shooting of Michael Brown.

After a working group headed by officials with the defense Department, Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice officials was released in May, Obama said:

“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.”

Local police agencies that have received the equipment argue it saves them money and strengthens their ability to respond to tense situations and is a kind of upcycling that gives a second life to equipment that’s already been paid for by the government.

The sheriffs’ group said the policy is little more than a public relations move that puts the safety at risk, criticizing the recall over “a perpetuated false perception, not a reality.”

The Major County Sheriffs’ Association represents the nation’s largest counties with populations of 500,000 or more people, collectively representing more than 100 million Americans.