Dozens of police departments suspended for losing US military-grade weaponry

Written on August 28th, 2014 in politics Comments Off

Published on Russia Today RT, by Lucy Nicholson, Aug 27, 2014.

Close to 200 state and local police departments in the United States have been suspended for losing military-level equipment transferred to them by the Pentagon, a new investigation found …;

According to the media outlet Fusion, its independent investigation into the Pentagon’s “1033 program,” which equips state and local police departments across the US with excess military equipment, turned up an alarming trend: Not only did many law enforcement agencies fail to comply with the program’s guidelines, they routinely lost dangerous weaponry.  

Already, the investigation has found that police departments in Arizona, California, Mississippi, Missouri, Georgia, and others have lost or cannot account for various types of weapons. This list includes M14 and M16 assault rifles, .45-caliber pistols, shotguns, and even vehicles.

So far, 184 state and local departments have reportedly been suspended in a program that involves the participation of more than 8,000 agencies. Since 1990, the 1033 program has administered more than $4.3 billion worth of equipment and weapons … //

Firearms were routinely lost or misplaced. In Arizona alone, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department lost 11 or 12 weapons.

“[The program] is obviously very sloppy, and it’s another reason that Congress needs to revisit this promptly,” Lynch added. “We don’t know where these weapons are going, whether they are really lost, or whether there is corruption involved.”

As RT reported previously, questions over the Pentagon program have reached President Obama as well, as he recently ordered a review of the entire operation. The probe will determine whether or not police should actually be receiving the equipment they get, the way these weapons are being used, and whether officers are being trained properly.

(full text).

Related Links:

Other Links:

Napoleon and the Red Man: Selling Your Soul for European Dominion, on Strange History.net, August 27, 2014;

Rotherham child sex abuse could be tip of an iceberg, say campaigners, on The Guardian, by Alexandra Topping, Aug 27, 2014: Charities and experts argue child sexual exploitation continues in other areas that refuse to acknowledge problem …;

Russia can’t set ceasefire conditions in Ukraine’s internal conflict – Putin, on Russia Today RT, Aug 26, 2014;

Thoughts on the Internet Revolution, on Strange History.net, August 26, 2014;

Forgotten in Iraq: Besieged City Faces Destruction by the Islamic State, on Spiegel Online International, by Christoph Reuter and Jacob Russell, Aug 25, 2014 (Photo Gallery): The world took notice when the Yazidis needed help. But since June, a Turkmen city in northern Iraq has been under siege by the Islamic State. The death toll continues to mount but, thus far, the people of Amirli have been left to fight the IS on their own …;

Mixed reactions: Disputes have erupted in Egypt following the release of the latest Human Rights Watch report*, on Al-Ahram weekly online, by Ahmed Morsy, Aug 21, 2014; *REPORT: All According to Plan, on HRW, Aug 12, 2014: short introduction; Press release; the whole report, 21 pages; all HRW/reports;

Egypt: Tilt towards Russia – Moscow and Cairo are drawing closer over military cooperation, on Al-Ahram weekly online, by Amirah Ibrahim, Aug 21, 2014;

Syrian Turkmens Slaughtered by Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), on Turkomania.org, July 27, 2014;

Where Do You Want Us to Go? Abuses against Street Children in Uganda, on HRW, July 17, 2014: short introduction; Press release; the whole report, 15 pages;

ISIS and Their Historical Caliphate Cobblers, on Strange History.net, June 17, 2014;

Jökull journal:

  • /Home;
  • /About: Jökull journal has a long lasting history in production of novel scientific works which are both well trusted and broadly indexed in international databases. Jökull publishes research papers, notes and review articles concerning all aspects of the life sciences. The journal currently owns the five-year impact factor of 1.604;
  • Address: Jökull journal, PO BOX 5128, REYKJAVIK, ICELAND, IS-125; Phone [354] 525-4311;
  • Contact.

… and this:

  • See the 10 best photos taken by Voyager 2, on TIME, Aug 25, 2014: Twenty-five years ago today the Voyager 2 spacecraft flew past Neptune, the furthest planet from the sun. The craft, which has been in operation for over thirty-seven years, continues to transmit data back to earth;
  • Martian Vistas: A Look at the Curiosity Rover’s Strange Home, on TIME, Aug 6, 2014: Two years ago, NASA’s Curiosity Rover landed on Mars, transforming an engineering team’s high-risk brainstorming into reality. See the planet’s topography, captured by Curiosity’s HiRise cameras.

Comments are closed.