Military Equipment Transfers to Police Have Picked Back Up

The transfer of military weapons and equipment to civilian police has resumed in the first quarter of 2021, following a drop in the last three quarters of 2020 due to a nationwide focus on policing.

According to Stephen Semler, co-founder of the Security Policy Reform Institute, an analysis of data from the Defense Logistics Agency found that the value of military equipment transferred under the 1033 Program reached levels not seen since before former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd in the first quarter of this year.

Here is the content list:

1. Biden’s policy：the military equipment police have received through the 1033 program.

2. Biden could curtail the program.

3. The military equipment in the 1033 program is on a conditional loan which can be taken back.

1. Biden’s policy：the military equipment police have received through the 1033 program.

“The military equipment police have received through the 1033 program is now Biden’s policy,” Semler wrote in his newsletter. “By him not doing anything about it makes it Biden’s problem.”

Local and state police departments obtain military equipment from the Defense Department for free under the 1033 Program, however, they must cover the costs of transportation and maintenance. According to a memorandum of agreement that the ACLU claims are consistent across all states, the Defense Logistics Agency requires law enforcement agencies to put army equipment received under the 1033 Program into operation within one year and use it for a minimum of a year.

2. Biden could curtail the program.

President Barack Obama signed an executive order in 2015 prohibiting the transfer of tracked armoured vehicles, weaponized aircraft, firearms with a calibre of.50 calibre or greater, bayonets, grenade launchers, and camouflage outfits other than woodland and desert designs or plain colours. In 2017, President Trump revoked that presidential order.

According to Semler, one move Biden may take is to recall military gear that has been provided to police and to block further transfers.

3. The military equipment in the 1033 program is on a conditional loan which can be taken back.

“The military gear that flows through 1033 is on a conditional loan, the matériel can be taken back,” Semler wrote. “Biden can order it to be done himself, without Congress.”

Some members of the House of Legislators attempted to stop the program with an amendment in 2014, but it was defeated by representatives who, on average, received more campaign money from PACs and employees of Department of Defense contractors than those who supported it. Because the program authorizes the Defense Logistics Agency to purchase military equipment for the purpose of transferring it to police, it helps Department of Defense contractors. “36 percent of the military equipment transferred under the scheme is brand new,” according to the ACLU's 2014 study.

The National Sheriff's Association, which is funded by telecom corporations such as Verizon Connect and AT&T FirstNet, has also aided police agencies in obtaining military equipment. The National Sheriff's Association wants Congress to formalize the 1033 Military Surplus Program so that presidential orders can't easily limit it.

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