Worcester Police Benefit From Military Surplus
MILITARY
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Priyanka Dayal
Boston University Washington News Service
3/13/2007
WASHINGTON, March 13 – The Worcester Police Department has received weapons, vehicles and office furniture through a little-known U.S. Department of Defense program that helps local police units cut costs.
The ongoing program, run by the Defense Logistics Agency, distributes excess equipment to
more than 16,000 participating state and municipal police departments,
including dozens in Massachusetts.
Pickup trucks, cruisers and 70 automatic rifles are among the most
valuable items Worcester has received from the Defense Department. It
also has received dozens of other items, including helmets, body armor,
parachutes, a digital camera and a sleeper sofa.
Joseph E. Kelly, state coordinator for the program,
said the volume of requests varies drastically based on many factors,
including the weather and departmental needs. Since 9/11, requests for
anti-terrorism gear has shot up, Mr. Kelly said.
Although even the highest-ranking police fficers are unfamiliar with the
program, it has the potential to save local police thousands of
dollars, Mr. Kelly said.
Vehicles, including cargo trucks and cruisers, and weapons are always
in high demand, but they also are the hardest requests to fill. More
often, departments receive less expensive equipment, such as protective
.clothing and training tools.
The program is something like a “craigslist” for police departments.
Police officials can browse available equipment on an Internet database, fill in
a request and hope their request is answered before another
department’s.
“You can pretty much name the equipment, and people have received it,”
Mr. Kelly said. “You have people online everyday looking, and when it
becomes available, they grab it.”
Mr. Kelly, who oversees the program for every police department in the
state, said he receives anywhere from 20 to 50 requests each day.
Requests can be for single items, such as one pickup truck, or hundreds
of items, such as boots for an entire police unit.
“It’s a first-come, first-serve basis,” Mr. Kelly said. “There’s no
pecking order. It’s an open bid, as long as you’re willing to do the
leg work.”
The most requested items go to departments that show the greatest need,
he added.
“It really depends on the amount of time you put in,” Mr. Kelly said.
Dartmouth Police, for instance, have saved “a ton of money” because
they actively seek, and often receive, used equipment.
The program, which is free except for shipping costs, is designed to
help local police units cut costs by using pre-owned equipment instead
of spending thousands of tax dollars on new equipment. But Lt. Larry A.
Sullivan said the Worcester Police Department does not track the savings.
For Worcester Police, the program may be a largely untapped resource.
That’s because officers are too busy with their everyday duties to
spend time searching for available equipment, according to Lt. Sullivan.
“There are savings, but you’ve got to be in the right place at the
right time,” he said. “We take advantage of it when we can. A lot of it
is basically sporadic. A lot of times, what you need is not what you’re
going to get.”
Lt. Sullivan said Worcester has not received anything from the Defense
Department so far this year. In 2006, the department received several
items, including a few vehicles.
Worcester Police have not received any high-end weapons since receiving
30 M14 rifles and 40 M16 rifles seven years ago. Those guns are still
used by SWAT units and during tactical training, even though they are
outdated, Lt. Sullivan said. He said he did not know how much the
rifles are worth, but Mr. Kelly estimated their worth at more than
$1,000 each.
Established in 1995, the 1033 Program, named for a section of the
National Defense Authorization Act, is open to federal, state and local law
enforcement agencies, but gives preference to counter-drug and
counter-terrorism activities.
Dozens of police departments in Massachusetts have received free
equipment, including the State Police.
Sgt. Robert M. Bousquet Jr., a State Police spokesman, said State
Police have received several vehicles from the Defense Department,
mostly pickup trucks.
“The vehicles have been in a variety of states of repair,” Sgt.
Bousquet said. “It’s kind of like recycling. It no longer suits the
mission of the federal government, so they try to provide an additional
use for the equipment.”
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