S&W
You hang around the Pentagon long enough, you stop seeing things in isolation. For example, take the military program that gives surplus gear — everything from armored vehicles to M-16s – to local police forces. Danger Room reported Tuesday that the Fairmount Police Department of Georgia, charged with protecting 7,000 folks, has received 17,145 pieces of gear from the Pentagon, The police force in Issaqua, Wash., a town of 30,000, got more than 37,000 items. It’s all part of a staggering $34 billion in federal grants to local cops since 9/11. The Pentagon itself has given more than $2.6 billion in gear to law-enforcers.
The utility of the militarization of the nation’s local gendarmes is a debate for another day. But what’s not debatable is the wisdom of such give-aways when the Pentagon continues to issue contract solicitations like this one posted three hours after the Danger Room story went online. It’s from the Army, and seeks “law enforcement gear,” including belts, chemical agent and handcuff pouches, leather radio carriers, Smith & Wesson handcuffs, body armor, flashlights, holsters and shooting gloves.