全球智库信息集成服务系统

Key Findings

1. Through the Defense Logistics Agency's Law Enforcement Support Office (LESO), the U.S. Department of Defense has transferred more than 2.2 million uncontrolled items (e.g., tools, first aid supplies, clothing) worth nearly $1.2 billion and more than 3,000 controlled items (e.g., vehicles, weapons, ammunition magazines) worth nearly $775 million to 2,790 state and local law enforcement agencies (LEAs), 174 federal LEAs, and 22 tribal LEAs in fiscal years (FYs) 2015–2017.
2. The LESO program suspended 268 LEAs and terminated 24 in FYs 2014–2016, primarily due to lost, missing, or stolen weapons or a lack of compliance.
3. The researchers provide three options for the future of the LESO program — two of which may help to address concerns about the program's effect on the militarization of police.
4. While the LESO program has its flaws, the program is largely being administered according to congressional intent.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has been distributing its excess or outdated equipment to state and local law enforcement agencies at little or no cost since 1990. The vast majority of this equipment is routine items like tools, first aid supplies, and office equipment, but the program also distributes weapons, armored vehicles, and other military equipment.