Military Surplus Austin - A Category II Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle (MRAP) is on display during a demonstration at the Aberdeen Proving Ground on August 24, 2007 in Aberdeen, Maryland. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images file
It was used this year by US forces supporting Iraqi forces during the operation to retake Mosul from the Islamic State.
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It's a mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle known as an MRAP, each weighing 18 tons and designed to withstand bombs, bullets, mines and grenades. They have been used in Iraq, Afghanistan and the US, in cities such as Miami Beach, Florida and Fairbanks, Alaska.
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A Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle (MRAP) drives an off-road course during a demonstration at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Aberdeen, Maryland. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images file
The vehicles and thousands of pieces of military equipment have been sent free of charge to law enforcement agencies across the country after President Donald Trump revoked an Obama-era amendment by executive order in August that barred local police from receiving some of the equipment. Strict restrictions on others.
Obama acted after clashes between police and protesters in Ferguson, Missouri, following the 2014 shooting of an unarmed black man. Shocking images on social media of military equipment being used by police for crowd control drew national attention to the Military Surplus Equipment Program.
For example, after Obama tightened the program in 2015, police agencies seeking MRAPs from the Defense Department had to provide a detailed rationale for why they were needed and how officers would be trained to use them.
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"We've seen that militarized equipment can sometimes make people feel like there's an occupying force," Obama said at the time. "Some equipment made for the battlefield is not suitable for local police departments."
Now, after Trump scaled back the program's requirements, the amount of additional equipment flowing to police agencies is about the same as it was under Obama. But what has changed is the need for substantiation, mandatory federal oversight and training, and critics warn of future problems.
"There is no accountability," said Ed Chung, a former Justice Department official who advised Obama on the matter.
Defense Department data reviewed by NBC News show that the agency's 1033 program, a major supplier of military surplus, has sent seven MRAPs worth about $12 million to local police departments in Florida, Alaska and Mississippi since Trump made the changes. program
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In total, more than 4,000 items, including night vision goggles, clothing and bomb disposal robots, have been approved by the Pentagon and shipped by Oct. 23, according to the Defense Department.
Congress created the program in 1990 for federal and state law enforcement agencies in the war on drugs itself, and seven years later it was expanded to include all law enforcement departments. More than $5.4 billion has gone to police since the program began.
"We're not going to make public safety concerns superficial," Sessions said. "It's not about looks, it's about getting the job done and keeping everyone safe."
Supporters of recent changes to the Trump-led program note that most of the equipment is defensive in nature and argue that police departments, not the federal government, should decide who is trained to use the equipment.
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"The fact that it doesn't look good is more of an indictment of the troublemakers than the officer," said Fraternal Order of Police Executive Director Jim Pascoe, who accused Obama of "acting politically and emotionally." analytically” according to Ferguson.
Obama also banned police from sending grenade launchers, armored vehicles, bayonets, rifles, .50-caliber or larger ammunition and some armored vehicles that look like tanks. Under Trump, these items are no longer restricted.
Then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to retired and active law enforcement officers at the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge during a campaign stop in Statesville, North Carolina. Gerald Herbert / AP
Obama also introduced oversight measures called the controlled items list for other equipment, such as MRAPs and riot gear, that are potentially lethal or have a negative impact on communities and require police agencies to prove they need the equipment. .
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None of the devices previously banned under Trump have yet been sent to local agencies, but critics fear it's only a matter of time.
"With President Trump rescinding the executive order and everything that it entails, we're back to where we were before," said Chung, a former Justice Department official.
Trump's action reversed Obama's requirement that domestic law enforcement agencies prove they can maintain military equipment and provide extensive training to all personnel on every piece of equipment they receive, from MRAPs to body armor.
The federal government also had procedures in place to keep detailed records of requests and improve communication between federal agencies about where equipment was sent. The police had to alert their communities to what they were demanding and why.
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Under Trump, those requirements have been lifted, although the Defense Department continues efforts to better communicate with various other federal agencies that provide resources to local law enforcement.
"The whole point of this was how do we ensure that police departments get what they need to protect and serve, while also being accountable to the people and communities who pay for the equipment in the first place. Serve," Roy. Austin, a former DOJ official who worked on the matter, told NBC News.
Before Obama's order, Austin said, the federal government did a poor job of keeping proper records, communicating with various federal agencies that had the same, albeit lesser-known, program and even police departments that indiscriminately requested devices that were not ready for use. which he said made the program ripe for abuse.
But Jonathan Thompson, executive director and CEO of the National Sheriffs Association, said Obama went too far and praised Trump for bringing it back.
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"It has introduced more realistic rules," he said. "Instead of training everyone on every piece of equipment, the police chief and the sheriff decide what training is needed."
Pentagon spokeswoman Susan Lowe said Trump's executive order has had "minimal impact" on the program, adding that local police agencies still have to prove they are trained. Training requirements have been codified in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2016, the Department of Defense informed.
However, American Civil Liberties Union attorney Kanye Bennett, who also worked with Obama on the issue, questioned the Defense Department's claim.
"I don't want anyone to think that (the National Defense Authorization Act) requires law enforcement," she said. "It's really 'check the box' that you're working out."
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She said the ACLU supports having communities, through their city councils or other local officials, approve the use of the extra equipment before it goes to those municipalities' police departments.
"I understand the reluctance to completely ban some of these items," Bennett said. "But at least you should leave it up to the public to be in control."
"Our primary focus is public safety and the safety of our officers," said Jyuk, whose department received an MRAP under the program in September. "There are certainly devices and resources that are available and used by our military that may not be appropriate, but there are some that are applicable to law enforcement."
Jewkes said the 46-member unit is located near an Army base and has its own training protocols and ability to properly maintain equipment.
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"When we can use them in law enforcement, it seems like a waste to destroy them," he said. "Good or bad is how and when to use it." The uniqueness and unexpectedly low cost of these military items is why Army Surplus continues to sell.
Army surplus refers to military equipment purchased by the military in excess of what was never used. These common devices are sold at retail prices at military surplus stores.
Sales of military surplus originated at the end of the American Civil War. The army's large supplies were stored on shelves and warehouses. This was due to the mass production of these gadgets at that time. In order to recoup most of the costs incurred in manufacturing these devices, the government decided to auction them to the public at a much lower price.
Today, you can find many stores that deal in these military gadgets. Their business is mainly selling military goods to citizens online or offline.
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Military surplus is sold for many reasons, from legalization by government officials to increased civilian demand as accessories for licensed firearms, among others. So buying and selling army surplus is a very legitimate business. Also, people naturally prefer high-tech devices, especially in the US. Gadgets specifically designed for military use. There is also pride and emotion
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