News reports from Washington, D.C., over the weekend say the Trump administration plans to again allow the Defense Department to loan surplus weapons to local police.
President Barack Obama had halted such loans of rifles and pistols, though police in Utah and elsewhere have continued to receive surplus military gear such as blankets, cots, goggles, first-aid kits and even mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles, or ”MRAPs.” They are the large armored personnel carriers the U.S. Army built to withstand bomb blasts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Below are two spreadsheets, courtesy of the Defense Logistics Agency, of weapons and other gear local police forces have received since 1998, shortly after Congress created what is called the 1033 Program. The first spreadsheet is for Utah police forces. The second is a spreadsheet of equipment given to police forces in each state.
Check sltrib.com later today for an article about what reverting to past practices could mean for local police.
