Our military is so depleted they have tons of extra equipment left over for the police?

[MattP]

We are spending 700 billion more on our military and they always have extra surplus for the police what a waste!

[struggle4progress]

1. Do you have a better idea for putting rocket-propelled grenades into the hands of teachers?

[Lee-Lee]

2. Thats not really how it all works

What law enforcement gets to pick from is stuff that has been determined to be unneeded by the military and marked to either be sold as salvage/surplus or if it’s something like weapons to be destroyed.

The way it works is a unit has an item- let’s say a HMMWV. They get a replacement or the organization chart changes and it is not needed. It gets turned in to a higher supply authority. That supply authority looks to see if other units need that model. If so it goes there. Next they see if there are more needed in strategic resrve where spares are kept. If not needed there it gets turned in the Defense Logistics Agency Office of Disposition Services- what used to be called DRMO.

At DRMO items get processed and then go through a process called screening. Screening has several cycles where different groups can come and get the items for free if they need them. It starts with DOD, then other Federal Agencies, then state and local government to include police and fire departments and schools, then other nonprofits. They all get it for free under the idea that it saves government money by getting them supplies they don’t have to buy. Then the next step is anything eligible for sale gets sold at auctions.

I got all kinds of things for my department when I was a deputy, I ended up managing that program for us because I did logistics work in the Army’s Resrve also. I got use surplus Chevy Blazers so we had enough 4wd trucks to equip all the deputies on a shift during snow and ice. I got enough cots and blankets to have supplies to set up shelters for 300 people. Trailer mounted generators for our dispatch centers and where our radio repeaters were located. Desks and chairs for the spare room deputies used for reports.

[TheDebbieDee]

3. No! As our military is equipped with the latest upgrades

of weapons, air craft, vehicles, etc., the outdated versions get funneled down to the Reserves, then the National Guard, then state and local law enforcement in that order...