Military Weapons Police

In this May 2, 2012 photo, law enforcement and other officials examine surplus gear at Joint Base Lewis McChord in Washington state as they attend an information session for a program that distributes surplus military equipment to state law-enforcement agencies. In Oregon, state records show 50 law enforcement agencies have received surplus military gear valued at more than $10.7 million since 1997.

(The Associated Press/2012)

The Pentagon has funneled more than $10.7 million in surplus military equipment to 50 Oregon law enforcement agencies since 1997, according to newly released state records.



The data reveals Oregon policing agencies received nearly 4,500 surplus items through the Defense Department's 1033 program. The gear ranges from grenade launchers, rifles and mine-resistant vehicles to laptops, exercise bikes and bandages.



The federal program has come under scrutiny in light of police tactics used during protests in Ferguson, Mo., where an officer shot and killed an unarmed man, sparking civil unrest in the St. Louis suburb. The recent uproar has cast a national spotlight on how weapons and other equipment formerly used by the military have found their way into the policing of local jurisdictions.



Springfield Police Department Capt. Rick Lewis contends the federal program is a benefit to cash-strapped local agencies and is a low-cost way of obtaining wanted equipment.



"I understand the public concern over where these materials are coming from, but if you take a step back, I think a lot of people will realize that these items are mostly used to better protect officers and citizens," said Lewis, whose department received 238 surplus items between October 2012 and March 2014.

Related: State data and map of equipment received through the federal 1033 program since 1997.

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The 1033 program began in 1990 as a counter-drug initiative. But Congress broadened its scope seven years later and allowed any policing agency to acquire surplus military property for law enforcement purposes.



To date, the 1033 program has transferred more than $5.1 billion in equipment to agencies nationwide, including more than $449 million worth of items in 2013, according to the federal Law Enforcement Support Office.

1033 Program in Oregon

To be eligible for the program, local law enforcement agencies must pay an annual enrollment fee ranging from $500 to $2,000, said Steve Smith, state coordinator for the 1033 program.

They then have access to an online database that lists available gear. Smith said bullets, tear gas and other forms of ammunition are not distributed through the 1033 program, nor is equipment that has a recommended shelf life such as body armor and Kevlar vests.

Agencies can request needed equipment through the database. The Department of Defense then sends the equipment directly to them, though local agencies must cover shipping costs.

As state coordinator, Smith said he tracks the equipment received statewide, verifies that it went to legitimate law enforcement agencies and oversees any transfer or return of equipment. Agencies cannot sell the equipment.

Smith said the program brings in an average of $25,000 in fees every year. The money helps cover the overhead costs of the program.

According to records released by the Oregon Department of Administrative Services, about a third of the roughly 170 law enforcement agencies statewide have received surplus military equipment.



Use of the 1033 program in Oregon differs widely by jurisdiction. The Myrtle Creek Police Department in southern Oregon received a single M16 rifle valued at $120 in April 2011. The Lane County Sheriff's Office collected 744 items worth $2.2 million from November 2006 to August 2014. Among the items the agency received: an armored vehicle, utility trucks, a bomb-disposal robot and thermal imaging cameras.



"Some police departments can't afford this equipment otherwise," said Steve Smith, who was appointed by Gov. John Kitzhaber to coordinate the 1033 program in Oregon. "Taxpayers have already paid for it, so why not let them be re-utilized? It's better than knowing that they'll all just get scrapped."



Yet the quality of the used equipment varies, Lewis said. Some of the hundreds of items received by the Springfield Police Department have been in great condition, while others need additional work or alterations, he said.



A Humvee sent to the law agency in January 2013 came with a gun turret that the department didn't need, so it eventually paid to have it removed, Lewis said. The agency is now looking to send back the Humvee, valued at nearly $73,000, because it doesn't fit its needs, according to the police captain.



Springfield police obtained other items, including M14 rifles, ballistic goggles, a thermal imaging system, distress light markers and a flashlight. Combined, the equipment is valued at more than $228,000, state records show.



Lewis said recent images that have shaped the public's perception of the 1033 program are not reflective of how it is most often used by Springfield police.



"Infrared equipment can be used to find a bad guy, but it can also be used to find a missing child," Lewis said. "And the bottom line is, a lot of this equipment is just really expensive."

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The Lane County Sheriff's Office, which aids in policing an area that stretches from the Oregon Coast to the Willamette National Forest, has received significantly more through the 1033 program than any other agency in the state.

Oregon's top users of the 1033 program

By value of equipment acquired:

1. Lane County Sheriff's Office: $2.2 million

2. Klamath County Sheriff’s Office: $1.1 million

3. Polk County Sheriff’s Office: $860,000

4. Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office: $805,000

5. Salem Police Department: $755,000

By number of items received:

1. Lane County Sheriff's Office: 744

2. Deschutes County Sheriff's Office: 499

3. Independence Police Department: 461

4. Clackamas County Sheriff's Office: 448

5. Klamath County Sheriff's Office: 400

Source: Oregon Department of Administrative Services

The agency's acquired equipment is worth twice as much as the next largest 1033 program beneficiary, the Klamath County Sheriff's Office, state records show. In terms of volume, the Lane County Sheriff's Office has received 245 more items than the next highest recipient, the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office.



Among the materials collected by the Lane County Sheriff's Office: 78 magazine cartridges, 34 rifles, 30 laser pointers, 12 spotlights, 10 pairs of waterproof pants, an explosive ordnance robot, an armored truck and scores of infrared illuminators – small beacons used to show "friendlies" through night-vision optics.



In most cases, it was equipment the agency wouldn't have received any other way, said Sheriff Thomas Turner and Chief Deputy Byron Trapp. They said the sheriff's office views the program as a cost-effective way to supplement its budget.



The armored personnel carrier, for example, replaced an aging vehicle that became too costly to maintain, they said.



"This isn't an effort to militarize our staff," Trapp said. "It's finding a way for an under-resourced agency to provide services and public safety."



In Klamath County, military-issue tactical gear has landed at the sheriff's office and the Klamath Falls Police Department. The sheriff's office has obtained 14 M16 rifles, a robot, three grenade launchers, 40 riot-control face shields, night-vision gear, a mine-resistant vehicle and other items between June 2006 and May 2014, state records show.



The heavy-duty vehicle replaced another one that was "falling apart," said Sheriff Frank Skrah, who was elected in 2012 and cited "17 or 18 tactical incidents" involving the agency since then.



The new vehicle has no weaponry, he said, but it's ideal for approaching a dangerous scene -- such as a house where a gunman is holding hostages -- and safely evacuating people.



Grenade launchers received through the 1033 program have been used to fire "a couple of rounds" of tear gas, Skrah said. Deputies keep full kits of equipment, including rifles, in patrol vehicles so they can respond to incidents quickly.



"I'm proud to say we've not had to put one round downrange," Skrah said, explaining deputies haven't had to fire any shots.

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Some local law enforcement agencies are much less reliant on the acquired surplus military equipment.



At the West Linn Police Department, only one of its 31 M16A1 rifles obtained through the 1033 program is used regularly, said Sgt. Dave Kempas. The rest of the rifles acquired in 2012, along with 10 .45 caliber pistols received in 2013, stay in the department's armory, he added. The 41 firearms are valued at more than $16,000.



"The M16s are a little bigger and older than the rifles we regularly use," Kempas said, "and most officers, including myself, carry Glocks," instead of the surplus pistols.



The Portland Police Bureau received 20 M16A1 rifles and 24 M14 rifles worth more than $13,000 in November 2006, state records show. Like West Linn, the rifles obtained by Portland police are also maintained in the armory, according to Sgt. Pete Simpson.



The bureau's Special Emergency Reaction Team has access to some of the rifles, but they are rarely deployed, he said. The honor guard uses some of the M14s for ceremonial purposes.



The equipment that is regularly used by Portland officers -- including AR-15 rifles and body armor -- was purchased locally through the bureau's budget and grant funding, Simpson said.



"Ultimately, we've found that the 1033 program just doesn't pencil out for the stuff that we need," Simpson said, adding later that he believes the police bureau is no longer part of the program.



The Forest Grove Police Department paid the enrollment fee for the 1033 program in 2012, but let its membership expire the next year without making any requests, said Capt. Kevin Ellingsburg.



"We looked, but I don't think we found anything we needed," he said.

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Two other agencies contacted by The Oregonian questioned the accuracy of the state records regarding their involvement in the 1033 program and disputed receiving at least some of the equipment. State officials say they do not know what would have caused any discrepancies.



According to Oregon State Police Lt. Gregg Hastings, his agency has received six rifles now being used by their honor guard and two armored cars used to support the SWAT team during rescue operations. The vehicles, located in Bend and Pendleton, will soon be phased out of use, he said. "Besides that we haven't received any other equipment," Hastings said.



Yet records also show the agency received 58 other items, including 20 M14 rifles and five M16A1 rifles, plus infrared and night vision scopes. All the items, including the armored cars valued at $150,000 apiece, are worth nearly $372,000. The items were last inventoried by the state between October 2013 and February 2014.



State records show the Washington County Sheriff's Office was given 23 M14 rifles worth more than $3,000 in June 2006. The items were last inventoried by the state in February 2014.



But Washington County Sheriff's Sgt. Bob Ray says the agency received 21 rifles through the program sometime before 2006.



The sheriff's honor guard uses eight of the rifles because they are not functional, Ray said. Members of the county's Tactical Negotiations Team use another rifle occasionally. He said he did not know where the other rifles were.



"It's been at least ten years since we've received anything," Ray said.

Mike Francis of The Oregonian staff contributed to this report.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.