Maricopa County Sheriff's Office dropped from US military surplus program

[Chris_]

Maricopa County Sheriff's Office dropped from US military surplus program

Arpaio's agency was suspended from the program in 2012 because it was missing eight handguns and one M-16 rifle from among the hundreds of weapons it received through the program.

Associated Press

Oh, the ****ing irony.

[franksolich]

I suspect Eric Holder can lose that many firearms in thirty seconds.

[thundley4]

Cities That Have Used Military Equipment for Riot Control Might Owe Feds Millions

On Tuesday, Obama administration officials testified that local police who received surplus military equipment from a government program were never supposed to use that equipment for riot control and if the items were misused, cities may be forced to repay millions in grants given them by the government to purchase the equipment.

The testimony was delivered before Congress by members of the Defense and Homeland Security departments on Tuesday afternoon in a hearing that was spurred by shocking images from Ferguson, Missouri where police used a variety of military-styled equipment to quell rioting last month. Local police obtained some of that surplus military equipment through the Pentagon’s 1033 Program.

During the hearing Senators pointed out that many departments have been given equipment that they really have no legitimate need for. During the hearing it was revealed that one small Oklahoma county sheriff’s department for instance, received two 18-ton MRAP armored vehicles even though the department has only one full-time peace officer.

Several Senators questioned just why local police need military equipment at all. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul noted that 12,000 bayonets have been given out to local police and he wondered why a weapon of war like that, one used solely for killing and not peacekeeping, needed to be placed in the hands of a police department.

http://wizbangblog.com/2014/09/12/cities-that-have-used-military-equipment-for-riot-control-might-owe-feds-millions/

[J P Sousa]

What about the FBI ?

  FBI: Help us find our missing sniper rifle, M16 

http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2013/11/fbi_help_us_find_our_missing_sniper_rifle_m16

  ATF agents have lost track of dozens of government-issued guns, after stashing them under the front seats in their cars, in glove compartments or simply leaving them on top of their vehicles and driving away, according to internal reports from the past five years obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 

http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/watchdogreports/atf-agents-lost-track-of-dozens-of-their-own-guns-reports-show-b99213499z1-247182581.html

.

[RayRaytheSBS]

But civilians need more gun control. Oh the irony.