Law enforcement sees value in military surplus rollback

Central Florida law enforcement agencies applauded a White House decision that will once again allow them to acquire a range of surplus military equipment.

At least two local agencies are planning to take advantage of the overhaul and buy their tanks back after they were recalled in 2015 due to restrictions by former president Barack Obama that banned certain military-style equipment, including grenade launchers, bayonets and high-powered firearms.

“I’m extremely pleased . ... It’s of great value to law enforcement across the country to keep officers and their communities safe,” said Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma. “... The public relies on us to protect them and have the means to keep them safe. We need to be well-equipped and welltrained.”

But some questioned the executive order that President Donald Trump signed on Monday allow-

ing police to once again have military-grade weaponry.

“We have an epidemic in the United States of police using excessive force, particularly against people of color, with injuries and deaths mounting,” said Kanya Bennett, legislative counsel at the Washington Legislative Office of the ACLU. “It defies logic to arm the police with weapons of war.”

Some agencies in the region who gave back their tanks, including the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office and Leesburg and Lakeland police departments, say they don’t have plans to get another tracked vehicle.

But both Volusia and Polk counties hope to get back

their tanks, which didn’t have cannons and did not fire shells.

Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood and Polk Sheriff Grady Judd said because the vehicles have tracks, they are very useful in rural areas and can access a number of terrains.

“I mean, we see in Texas right now with all these rescues, these [tracked] vehicles can get to places we can’t and are necessary when needed,” Chitwood said.

He said the tracked vehicle would have come in handy last year when deputies were after a man who ran into a wooded area. A police dog named Forest was killed after deputies opened fire on the man. Chitwood said deputies could have used the vehicle in the woods and had extra cover.

Judd said not having the vehicles has also been an issue

and blasted the Obama administration, saying, “you don’t play politics with public safety.”

Obama signed off on the changes in 2015 after riots in Ferguson, Mo., that drew officers in full riot gear with high-powered rifles and armored vehicles, which led to concern of militarized policing.

When announcing the changes, Obama said gear “made for the battlefield” could “send the wrong message.”

“We’ve seen how military gear can sometimes give people the feeling like there’s an occupying force as opposed to a force that’s part of the community that protecting them and serving them,” he said.

The directive forced 11 law enforcement agencies in Florida to return their tanks

to the federal government.

Military surplus equipment is made available to local police through the Department of Defense’s 1033 program, which offers some used equipment for a minimal cost.

Leesburg Police Chief Rob Hicks said they were given a MRAP as a replacement, an armored vehicle with wheels. He said it is much better suited for the city’s needs and he doesn’t plan on asking for their tracked vehicle back, but said all of the gear is needed to protect officers and the community.

“The people who say the police are becoming militarized are the people who have no idea of the reality we face and who aren’t in our job,” Hicks said.

Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said his agency hasn’t had any of the

recalled equipment in years but added military-styled gear is needed in policing when “we have members of the civilian population that are armed with heavy weaponry.”

That was true last summer during the Pulse nightclub shooting, when gunman Omar Mateen opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle and pistol, outgunning some of the initial officers who responded. Local law enforcement used explosives and a BearCat, a large armored vehicle, to break through a wall to rescue those still inside the club.

“Had they not had an armored vehicle, there might have been law enforcement or more civilians who were injured,” Demings said.

Orlando Police Chief John Mina did not comment but a spokesman said he supports the decision and the department’s equipment needs are evaluated on a continuous basis. It’s unclear whether the agency will be applying to get any surplus equipment.

Lemma said Seminole County has used the program but is steering away, instead using money seized from criminals to pay for equipment, including a BearCat.

“We’re just fortunate enough to be less dependent on it now and more self-sufficient,” he said, adding “the equipment itself doesn’t make police militarized. It’s what we do with the equipment that does or does not.”