Pentagon Gifts Local Cops with “Cast Off” Military Hardware

Kurt Nimmo
Infowars.com
April 6, 2012

An article posted on The Modesto Bee website earlier this week provides a snapshot of the militarization of police, thanks to the Pentagon.

A “California Watch” article details how Stanislaus County police have received $4.2 million in surplus war equipment from the Department of Defense. In 2011 alone, according to the article, “Stanislaus County agencies collected more than 2,400 pieces, their highest total ever.”

photoA Stanislaus Sheriff officer displays an “inert” rocket launcher provided by the Pentagon.

Stanislaus County is not alone. “Public agencies around the state have grabbed cast-off military goods that become available on a weekly basis” and used to “arm and equip its officers.”

Modesto Police Chief Mike Harden told The Modesto Bee that much of the surplus military equipment is not “applicable to municipal use,” including an “inert rocket launcher” and other “nonoperational weaponry the Stanislaus County sheriff’s bomb squad displays to educate children about dangerous explosives,” according to Sheriff Adam Christianson.

Other, more useful equipment the police received from U.S. taxpayers include flashlights, bed sheets, a cargo parachute and an OH-58 helicopter. The department also acquired a “guided-missile trailer” that was repurposed to haul heavy equipment.

“The Department of Defense’s equipment bazaar is another sign of how some police departments increasingly resemble small armies. Civilian law enforcement agencies have equipped themselves with assault-style weapons and even tanks, first as part of the war on drugs and later in the name of fighting terrorism,” write G.W. Schulz and Andrew Becker.

Modesto cops insist they are “not trying to mimic military units” and claim “there is a definite need to equip officers with weapons that meet the level of the criminals they might encounter.”

“Law enforcement is a paramilitary organization, and we often utilize the same type of equipment that the military might use,” Christianson said.

The police in Modesto may actually believe they will need military equipment for a fantasy show-down with Los Zetas or RPG toting drug dealers. Short of actually going up against al-Qaeda, however, police around the country have used SWAT teams and “cast-off” combat equipment doled out by the Pentagon over the last few months to confront non-violent protesters.

“The militarization of America’s metropolitan police forces was on full display in recent months as police from Los Angeles to New York cracked down on Occupy protests, decked out in full SWAT gear and occasionally using strange pieces of military hardware,” Salon reported in December.

Metropolitan cops don’t expect Occupy terrorists to engage in running gun battles. On the contrary, heavily militarized cops are sent to demonstrations in order to acclimate people to the fact they live in a militarized police state and should expect paramilitary soldiers with automatic weapons when they exercise the First Amendment.

According to the Center for Investigative Reporting, cops now routinely conduct police work with military hardware. “Many police, including beat cops, now routinely carry assault rifles. Combined with body armor and other apparel, many officers look more and more like combat troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The list of equipment bought with… federal grants reads like a defense contractor catalog. High-tech gear fills the garages, locker rooms and patrol cars in departments across the country,” they write.

FBI statistics cited by the Center for Investigative Reporting reveal that violent crime – and officers killed by gunfire – has decreased over the last two decades while over the same period police departments have armed themselves at an unprecedented level.

The question is, then, why is the Pentagon and the federal government showering local police departments with tons of weapons and military gear?

The answer should be obvious – they want us to understand that domestic police are now an extension of the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security .

Officer Friendly is an anachronism.

  1. Local Cops Ready for War With Homeland Security-Funded Military Wea...
  2. Pentagon to equip local police forces with military weapons
  3. Federal Grants Pay to Militarize Local Cops
  4. Local Cops Get Access to Pentagon “Domestic Terror” Database
  5. Local military, civilian police training builds skills
  6. FBI Says Boston Cops Need M-16s to Prevent City from Becoming Next ...
  7. California County WMD Training Set For Saturday
  8. Pentagon Halts Controversial Links to Military Pundits
  9. Economy limiting services of local police
  10. Chicago’s Daley Issues Combat Rifles to Beat Cops
  11. Military Police Document Reveals Integration with Local Law Enforce...
  12. Pentagon Beta Tests Tighter Military Control of Disaster Response

Views: 101

Comment

You need to be a member of 12160 Social Network to add comments!

Join 12160 Social Network

"Destroying the New World Order"

TOP CONTENT THIS WEEK

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE SITE!

mobile page

12160.info/m

12160 Administrators

 

Latest Activity

Doc Vega posted a blog post

What US Scientist unwittingly helped the Nazis devise the V-2 Missile?

  In the early 1920’s and leading up to World War II German technology outpaces the peace time…See More
yesterday
tjdavis favorited Sandy's video
Monday
tjdavis posted a photo
Monday
Christopher Walker is now a member of 12160 Social Network
Sunday
tjdavis posted videos
Sunday
Burbia commented on tjdavis's photo
Thumbnail

Reflection

"Let's see if this goes past indictment."
Saturday
Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post Something Watches From Out there in the Wilderness
"cheeki kea That's very interesting history. So many things about history that go ignored or…"
Saturday
Burbia commented on Burbia's video
Saturday
Burbia posted a video

Programmed To Kill/Satanic Cover-Up Part 433 (The Charlie Kirk Conspiracy Show)

https://www.programmedtokill.net/projects---- DISCLAIMER! ----Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair u...
Saturday
cheeki kea commented on cheeki kea's photo
Thumbnail

American werewolf- 2018

"Yip I've looked again and this is what the creature looks like, even has stripes just like…"
Saturday
cheeki kea commented on cheeki kea's photo
Thumbnail

American werewolf- 2018

"The mystery continues I guess. ( reminds me of something out of the under world )"
Saturday
cheeki kea posted a photo
Saturday
cheeki kea commented on Doc Vega's blog post Something Watches From Out there in the Wilderness
"Another fine story Doc V. I think it's Dogman the werewolf out there roaming around in high…"
Saturday
Doc Vega posted blog posts
Saturday
Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post What Four UFO Whistle Blowers All Suffered in Common?
"Less Prone Thanks for you comment Buddy! Dabbling in government kept secrets can cost you dearly. I…"
Saturday
Burbia posted a blog post

Sebastion Piñera and 5G

 Sebastion Piñera “The start of the bidding process for the 5G network. Let’s listen to the threats…See More
Saturday
tjdavis posted a photo
Friday
Doc Vega posted a blog post
Thursday
Less Prone left a comment for Tammy
"Welcome"
Oct 16
tjdavis posted a video

Mike Benz: DARPA & USAID are Weaponizing Music to Control Human Behavior

Watch every episode ad-free & uncensored on Patreon: https://patreon.com/dannyjonesMike Benz is a former State Department official and current Executive Dire...
Oct 15

© 2025   Created by truth.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

content and site copyright 12160.info 2007-2019 - all rights reserved. unless otherwise noted