A Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle that sits in front of Police headquarters in Watertown, Conn.,in this July 16, 2014, photo. The city acquired the armored vehicle through a federal program, which allows law enforcement agencies to receive surplus military property through their state coordinating office.ST. PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota law enforcement agencies have almost $10 million in military hardware – including about 3,300 weapons, 40 tactical vehicles and 40 pairs of night-vision goggles – through a federal program that transfers military surplus equipment to local police.
The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that this amount worries some who fear police are becoming too militarized. But law enforcement agencies say the gear is misunderstood.
“The equipment comes from the military, but it is not being used in Minnesota in most cases in that type of traditional military fashion,” said Andy Skoogman, executive director of the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association. Skoogman said his group is polling members, and so far, most chiefs feel strongly that the equipment is important.
“It provides officers with equipment, guns and night-vision goggles to help solve crimes as well as keep citizens and themselves safe,” Skoogman said. “It provides office equipment that many departments and cities cannot afford. It provides fitness equipment that keeps officers in shape and in good health.”
But Chuck Samuelson, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, said he’s concerned, especially after watching a heavily armed police response to protests in Ferguson, Missouri, after a white police officer fatally shot an unarmed black 18-year-old.