Could you imagine Barney Fife getting hold of some of this stuff?
These military surplus programs have been around a long time. I recall a Florida sheriff's office got a small helicopter through one of these programs in the early '80s. It made sense as the county had large rural areas that were hard to access by usual surface means.
But some of the gear being hoarded today looks to be more about ego than community policing or public safety.
Keep in mind, most of this stuff is well-used military surplus. The cost of acquisition may be low, but I suspect at least some financially strapped localities are letting other priorities wait while money is spent on restoring or maintaining this stuff or training on it.
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