MICHIGAN -- Some call it the militarization of police.

Local police chiefs and sheriffs say they're just keeping up with the Joneses.

Whatever the spin, it's clear many West Michigan police agencies have become better equipped to handle both violent incidents and disasters, thanks to the U.S. military.

Since about 1990, police have been able to acquire military surplus through the federal government via the 1033 Program.

But it wasn't until late 2014 that the Pentagon began releasing detailed information about the surplus items going to police agencies across the nation.

The chaos in Ferguson, Missouri, as heavily armed police using armored equipment clashed with protesters over the Michael Brown shooting last year, led to calls for transparency about police agencies and their military surplus.

In Michigan, what the data showed was a large release of armored vehicles going to law enforcement, mostly between 2011 and 2014.

Even before the unrest in Ferguson, the American Civil Liberties Union last June raised concerns about police using surplus SWAT-type vehicles for seemingly routine operations.

To see what military surplus items police in Michigan are selecting, check the database below. The costs shown are what the military paid for the equipment when it was first purchased.

In West Michigan, the most expensive and noticeable items snagged by police agencies are Humvees and the more hulking "mine-resistant ambush protected" vehicles.

The Allegan County Sheriff's Department picked up its MRAP from a Detroit military office in late 2013, then deputies drove it to Allegan.

So far, deputies have used the 55,000-pound vehicle just a of couple times.

And Allegan County Undersheriff Frank Baker contends each time was justified. The MRAP's' sole purpose is to protect officers and - because it is stripped of all weaponry - not to provide firepower.

In December, deputies used it to approach a man who had stolen a pickup, had taken a rifle from a barn and pointed it others, then eventually drove the pickup into a cornfield near Shelbyville as police closed in.

"We were able to use the MRAP to drive right up to him and negotiate," Baker said. "The situation ended peacefully, and no one was hurt."

The MRAP is one of two armored vehicles that have been added to the department's line-up through the 1033 Program. The other is a Humvee, also acquired in 2013.

That Humvee was used when a suicidal man, holed up in some woods, apparently shot at police. Deputies had no way to contact him and used the Humvee to drive close to him.

Allegan County Sheriff's Sgt. Cory Hunt said having that Humvee likely saved the man's life because deputies found him "all but incoherent, and hypothermia was setting in."

"Had we not had an armored vehicle, we wouldn't have approached him," Hunt said.

Police agencies receive the surplus equipment for free, less any shipping costs or maintenance required to restore the items to functionality.

Baker reasons that military surplus items are already bought and paid for by taxpayers and should be put to good use.

"If (police agencies) don't take this, the equipment is going to the shredder," he said.

Related: Armored surplus military vehicle now part of Muskegon County Sheriff's Office 'arsenal'

While the rumbling MRAPs and Humvees get much of the public attention, the surplus inventory list is long and varied.

According to a Defense Logistics Agency database, the Kent County Sheriff's Department has received equipment that includes eight bayonets and scabbards, 31 articulated telescopes, five pairs of combat trousers, 76 incandescent lamps, six pairs of extreme cold weather boots and 167 reflex gun sights.

The Barry County Sheriff's Department received five grenade launchers several years ago, with the intention of converting them for firing tear and pepper gas.

Kent County Undersheriff Jon Hess said some of the equipment is used as "auxiliary" tools for the department's tactical team. Like Allegan County, the department also has a Humvee.

He considers the surplus pipeline a valuable resource for items the department otherwise would not be able to afford.

Barry County Sheriff Dar Leaf is happy to stock up on military surplus.

His department has an MRAP, a Humvee and a full-tracked personnel carrier. The personnel carrier is being sent back to the military, however, because it doesn't have rubber tracks and would damage local roadways if driven on them, Leaf said.

Leaf believes police now need full-armored vehicles to protect officers from the increasing firepower available to the public, including semi-automatic weapons and assault rifles.

"I know some people that have these high-powered deer rifles that will penetrate almost anything," he said.

"There's got to be a balance with offering safety and violating people's rights," Leaf said about police using military surplus.

A military-style vehicle was used by police to reach James Aaron Harrington, 23, of Martin, who was accused of being involved in a standoff with officers after barricading himself inside a stolen vehicle in Allegan County.

Critics of the trend toward more heavily armored police say the use of military tools can aggravate tensions that might already exist in a community.

Mark Fancher, with the American Civil Liberties Union's Racial Justice Project in Michigan, said police should be trying to foster positive relationships with the public.

"When an agency starts to arm itself, basically preparing for war, that sends a completely different message to the community," he said.

Related: Armored vehicle use in Muskegon County, elsewhere 'amounts to saving lives,' authorities say

Barry County's Leaf said he believes the MRAP will be useful when responding to natural disasters such as tornadoes and floods.

"You don't necessarily want to take your ambulances and fire trucks in those areas because it will rip up your tires," he said of disaster scenes.

The Newaygo County Sheriff's Department also has an MRAP and an armored Humvee.

Deputies used the Humvee in early March to approach a house in Brohman after a man fired shots at his wife as she sat in a car. She was not hurt and managed to escape.

Police used the Humvee to drive right up to the house to investigate. They determined the husband had committed suicide in the garage.

In September, Newaygo County deputies and other authorities were investigating a possible meth lab at a house near Fremont and were using the MRAP as a shield when the house exploded.

A man inside earlier had threatened to blow up the house, Newaygo County Sheriff Pat Hedlund said.

"He did exactly what he threatened to do. He exploded the house with propane," Hedlund said.

The officers were about 50 yards from the house when debris came flying through the air.

"The MRAP provided important protection."

Hedlund said protecting his deputies is paramount and the armored trucks accomplish that.

"The threat has changed over the years. We have to evolve with that threat. I don't like that it has to be this way, but unfortunately we're dealing with a better armed criminal today," he said.

A tornado took its toll on Ideal Park in Wyoming in July, 2014. Police say a military surplus vehicle would be a big help during a natural disaster's aftermath.

Hedlund said armored equipment would be out of reach for small police departments if it weren't for the military surplus program.

"There's no way a community like this could afford that sort of thing," he said.

The specific value of military surplus items, in the condition received by various police agencies, is not known. However, the federal database showing disbursements includes the original "acquisition value" of equipment.

For instance, Newaygo County's MRAP was once valued at $658,000 and its Humvee at $172,193.

Allegan County's MRAP once had a value of $865,000.

According to the database, the Allegan County Sheriff's Department has obtained nearly $1.3 million in equipment over the last several years. In West Michigan, it's one of the highest "grand total" figures for local police agencies.

In contrast, Kent County has a total of $132,748 in military surplus acquisitions.

Some of the equipment is vintage and would not be particularly useful for today's police operations.

Wyoming Police acquired seven 7.62 millimeter rifles valued at $966.

Wyoming Police Chief James Carmody said the rifles are Vietnam-era and are used by the department's honor guard.

Like many area departments, Wyoming got a Humvee through military surplus and is working to get it refurbished.

Carmody sees the vehicle as a useful tool for officer protection, but also to respond to Mother Nature's wrath. The Humvee would have been perfect to access homes near Ideal Park, damaged in a July 2014 tornado.



RELATED: Military surplus for police ranges from high-tech gadgets to $490K unusable vehicles

He disagrees with any criticism that police are over-armed.

"To say we're becoming militarized is absurd," he said. "If you go into a gun store, one of the leading rifles is the AR-15. So these are the types of weapons that are in people's homes all over the place."

"People have body armor out there," he said.

"We're only putting in for the stuff we feel we need. And it's already been paid for by taxpayers," Carmody said.

E-mail John Tunison: jtunison@mlive.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/johntunison