Equipment used against First Amendment protestors
During the Occupy Wall Street protests in 2011, the police forces of Portland, Oregon, and other cities throughout the country used 1033 Program weapons to repress First Amendment protestors. These weapons included a long-range acoustic device, and a sound cannon, which disrupted events and caused disorientation and pain to the crowd. Other weapons included pepper spray, concussion grenades, and water cannons.
The 1033 Program has facilitated the militarization of law enforcement, including school police departments and small-town police departments. These police departments have received billions of dollars in funding from the Department of Justice and Homeland Security. In addition to supplying law enforcement with military-grade equipment, these programs have allowed local police departments to use heavy-duty gear to respond to natural disasters and other emergencies. These departments have also used militarized equipment against peaceful protestors, such as during the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement and the Dakota Access Pipeline protests.
The 1033 Program is the largest of a series of federal programs that subsidize law enforcement and has facilitated the militarization of local police forces. The program provides law enforcement with military-grade gear that is often inappropriate for their tasks. The militarization of local law enforcement has impacted a variety of aspects of American life, from the way protestors are treated to the way racial minorities are treated in policing.
In 2015, President Barack Obama signed an executive order to restrict certain categories of military equipment that can be transferred to law enforcement agencies. The order also included an executive order that reimposed some of the restrictions that Obama had previously lifted. It also required public disclosure of information related to the 1033 Program. The executive order restricted the transfer of explosives, grenade launchers, and tracked armored vehicles, as well as mine-resistant vehicles.
President Obama also signed a series of executive orders that limited the number of military-grade rifles and bayonets that can be transferred to local law enforcement. But the total number of items that were banned from being transferred was relatively small. It represented less than ten percent of the equipment in circulation.
President Donald Trump rescinded Obama’s executive order in August. The president also rolled back Obama-era immigration restrictions. But despite the efforts of many legislators and activists, Congress has not done much to limit the 1033 program.
As a result, the number of dangerous equipment in circulation remains high. This equipment should be destroyed by law enforcement agencies or the Department of Defense, and records of the destruction should be made publicly available on the LESO website.
The National Organization of Police Associations (NOPA) organized opposition to the 1033 program and pressed senior administration officials to act. In the aftermath of the police killing of George Floyd, former vice president Joe Biden called for the end of the program. However, Biden did not act.
Controls and oversight
Using the Department of Defense’s 1033 program for the purpose of transferring surplus military equipment to local law enforcement agencies is not a new practice, but it is one that requires additional oversight. As the number of items transferred from the Pentagon to police forces has increased, so has the need for more oversight. This has led to a number of reports on the program from the Government Accountability Office. In the most recent report, the GAO created a fictitious police department, which then received 100 items worth about $1.2 million. The GAO found that the 1033 program was not necessarily the most effective way to acquire military equipment. However, it did find that there are several programs that can facilitate the transfer of excess military-style equipment to LEAs.
The program is designed to support the US Department of Defense’s counter-drug activities, but it has also become a boon to law enforcement. Since its inception, the program has transferred nearly $5 billion in equipment to local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. According to the Department of Defense’s Defense Logistics Agency, as of June 2020, the program will have facilitated the transfer of surplus military equipment to 8,200 law enforcement agencies.
The Department of Defense is responsible for monitoring the 1033 program, and a number of reports have been published in the past few years. The GAO found that the program had a number of shortcomings, including the absence of any meaningful oversight and waste. Despite these limitations, the program has been useful in reducing the number of excess items in the US military arsenal. The program has also allowed police forces to obtain firearms that otherwise would not have been available to them.
The most obvious drawback of the program is the transfer of military-style equipment to law enforcement, as many small police departments cannot afford to acquire such equipment. One example is the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona, which passed on $7 million worth of military-style equipment to non-law enforcement agencies. The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office planned to auction off the equipment, but passed on weapons like grenade launchers and tracked armored vehicles.
The 1033 program has also been criticized by local media for its lack of transparency. The program has been criticized in several reports, including the 2003 DOD Inspector General’s report. The 1033 program has also been criticized by the National Police Foundation, which has called for policy changes. Some federal lawmakers have also called for an overhaul of the program. However, despite this and other criticisms, the program has continued to operate, and the Trump administration has largely reaffirmed its support.
In 2013, the property value of the 1033 program reached $450 million. This is almost triple the property value of the program in 2012. This figure is a measure of the program’s success in transferring military equipment to law enforcement agencies. The program has been an important component of the Department of Defense’s Counter-Drug Program, as well as the department’s counter-terrorism efforts. The property value of the program has also increased as the number of DoD combat operations overseas has increased.
