Domestic Law Enforcement And Military Surplus Weapons Made Available Through Federal 1033 Program

"The Department of Defense operates the 1033 Program through the Defense Logistics Agency’s (DLA) Law Enforcement Support Office (LESO), whose motto is 'from warfighter to crimefighter.' According to LESO, the program has transferred $4.3 billion worth of property through the 1033 Program.⁶¹ Today, the 1033 Program includes more than 17,000 federal and state law enforcement agencies from all U.S. states and territories. The amount of military equipment being used by local and state police agencies has increased dramatically—the value of property transferred though the program went from $1 million in 1990 to $324 million in 1995 and to nearly $450 million in 2013.⁶²
"The 1033 statute authorizes the Department of Defense to transfer property that is 'excess to the needs of the Department,'⁶³ which can include new equipment; in fact, 36 percent of the property transferred pursuant the program is brand new.⁶⁴ Thus, it appears that DLA can simply purchase property from an equipment or weapons manufacturer and transfer it to a local law enforcement agency free of charge. Given that more than a third of property transferred under the program is in fact new, it appears that this practice happens with some regularity."