In the last five years, the Covina Police Department obtained millions of dollars in military surplus equipment through a federal program often criticized for contributing to the militarization of law enforcement.

With its 59 officers, Covina’s total haul was valued at $5.7 million — more than double what the Los Angeles and New York police departments acquired in that time, according to an analysis of a national database maintained by the Defense Logistics Agency.

By dollar amount, Covina ranked eighth in the nation and second in the state, behind only the California Highway Patrol. The small department was the only agency in California with a population less than 100,000 to receive more than $1 million in equipment in the time period reviewed.

The 812 items requested — at an average of $46,406 per item — came from the Law Enforcement Support Office, a U.S. Department of Defense program formerly known as 1033, that sends the military’s surplus to police departments. That includes everything from armored trucks to office supplies and air conditioners.

But where other agencies have been criticized for acquiring grenade launchers and assault rifles, Covina didn’t receive a single weapon in the five years reviewed. Instead, it became one of the top users in the country by picking up disaster preparedness supplies, new air conditioners for its indoor gun range and tactical gear the department couldn’t afford otherwise.

The department’s acquisition list includes 23 surveillance robots, armored trucks, water purifiers, computer monitors, mine detectors, solar panels, tents and communications equipment. The department has acquired items as small as white boards through the program in an effort to save money.

“I think sometimes the public thinks about those things like grenade launchers and MRAPs (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles) and they immediately write the program off as bad,” said Lt. David Foster, who manages Covina’s participation in the program. “The reality is that is just a small part of what this program can be for municipalities, counties and state agencies.”

Lt. Dave Foster, of Covina Police Dept., shows a military mine detector on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018 that he helped acquire from the Department of Defense to use as a metal detector. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

Lt. Dave Foster, of Covina Police Dept., shows on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018 a trailer, that holds tents and other equipment that can be used in a disaster, that he helped acquire from the Department of Defense. According to Foster and the Chief of Police John Curley most of the $5.7 million of military equipment will be used for disaster response. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

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Covina Police Chief John Curley and Lt. Dave Foster show on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018 some of the military surplus Foster helped acquire from the Department of Defense including a throwbot. They said most of the equipment is for disaster response. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

Covina Police Lt. Dave Foster shows on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018 a military surplus throwbot he helped acquire from the Department of Defense. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

Covina Police Chief John Curley stands before a rescue armored vehicle on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018 that his department acquired from the Department of Defense. According to Lt. Dave Foster and Curley most of the $5.7 million of military equipment will be used for disaster response. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)



Lt. Dave Foster, of Covina Police Dept., shows on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018 military surplus air conditioners from the Department of Defense which they plan to use in their gun range. According to Foster and the Chief of Police John Curley most of the equipment is for disaster response. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

Lt. Dave Foster, of Covina Police Dept., shows on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018 military surplus air conditioners from the Department of Defense which they plan to use in their gun range. According to Foster and the Chief of Police John Curley most of the equipment is for disaster response. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

Lt. Dave Foster, of Covina Police Dept., shows on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018 some of the military surplus Foster helped acquire from the Department of Defense. According to Foster and the Chief of Police John Curley most of the equipment is for disaster response. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

Military surplus combat operation center which the Covina Police Department will reuse as an emergency operations center is seen on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018. According to Lt. Dave Foster and Police Chief Curley most of the $5.7 million of military equipment the department acquired will be used for disaster response. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

Lt. Dave Foster, of Covina Police Dept., shows on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018 some of the military surplus Foster helped acquire from the Department of Defense. According to Foster and the Chief of Police John Curley most of the equipment is for disaster response. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)



The Police Department’s highest value item, a $1.8 million “Combat Operations Center,” was meant to serve as the headquarters for local officials in the event of a major earthquake or other natural disaster. But the equipment, which includes rack mounted components capable of supplying power and access to communication networks during a blackout, was in a such poor shape that the department may send it back.

Covina also obtained 23 “ground unmanned vehicles,” four types of remote-controlled robots used for tactical situations, valued at $1.7 million, according to the database. One, called a Throwbot, is roughly the size of a football and can be tossed long distances without taking damage.

Another, the PackBot, uses treads to traverse up stairs and over obstacles. Covina recently deployed a PackBot to to monitor a suspect and scout out the interior of a barricaded home, Foster said.

But Foster said the high number of robots, equal to almost half the humans they employ, were necessary because not everything from the federal program arrives in working order. Equipment is sometimes missing parts, or not functional at all, he said. The value of items also stays at the original purchase price and never depreciates despite wear and tear, or even severe damage.

About a dozen robots appear to work properly, according to Foster. Extras were ordered because the products are so old, the manufacturers don’t sell parts anymore, he said. The department’s leadership is still assessing which ones to keep.

Covina also received two armored trucks and a pickup truck from the program. They’re regularly used for tactical situations.

On Election Day 2016, a Covina sergeant took one of the armored vehicles and used it to extract pinned down officers in Azusa, Chief John Curley said. In that incident, a 45-year-old man high on cocaine walked out of his Azusa home and opened fire on a woman in a van, then shot a 77-year-old man checking to see what was happening, according to police.

Officers have also used the trucks as barricades to protect crowds at the annual Christmas Parade.

In total, the department spent an estimated $130,000 — roughly 2 percent of the $5.7 million value — on shipping, retrofitting and repairing the millions of dollars worth of equipment, according to Curley. He said the department is trying to find ways to stretch its roughly $16 million budget.

Emergency preparedness is one of Covina’s primary reasons for using the LESO program. The city government, not just the Police Department, has to continue to function to help its residents in the event of an earthquake or other incapacitating emergency, Curley said.

“We wouldn’t be able to acquire this equipment otherwise,” Curley said. “We’re trying to make good use of it, and we’re trying to use it to the benefit of our community.”

He credits Covina’s aggressive use of the program to Foster, a military veteran familiar with the nomenclature of equipment lists.

Instead of a mine detector, Foster saw a device capable of finding discarded guns and bullet casings. Decontamination showers could become regular showers for city staff working during a disaster. And heavy duty air conditioners could replace old swamp coolers in the department’s indoor gun range.

When Foster requests gear from the Defense Department, he has to submit an explanation detailing why Covina needs it. There’s no guarantee the request will be accepted, and the program is audited regularly to ensure the department still needs the equipment it has received. If not, the item is returned to a military base so another agency can obtain it.

Foster said in recent years, departments have started to shy away from the program because of the public’s concerns about police militarization. But Covina still sees LESO as an asset and hopes others will recognize that it isn’t just about weapons.

“Military bases and the military have all kinds of needs that go beyond obvious instruments of war, we have no need for that stuff, but a white board, absolutely we can use that,” Foster said.

That wasn’t always the case in the Southland.

In 2014, a review by Southern California News Group found $150 million in surplus had been sent to Los Angeles County agencies since 1993. The equipment, officials argued, filled budgetary gaps by not only providing weapons and costly vehicles, but items like cold weather clothing, sleeping bags and washing machines.

At the time, civil rights activists and lawmakers questioned the agencies involvement in the program and whether they truly needed such powerful equipment.

The items criticized included grenade launchers sent to the Los Angeles Unified School District, 32 automatic rifles that went to Redlands, and millions of dollars in air support to San Bernardino County. The LAPD and L.A. County Sheriff’s Department received 2,763 M16s through the program, according to records.

Since 2014, neither agency has received any additional weapons, according to the database.