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Watchdog group: Fictitious agency got military equipment
Watchdog group: Defense program gave military equipment to fictitious agency
Should police still be 'militarized'? 02:05
(CNN)Sources
have told CNN that an extensive investigation by a government watchdog
group has found alarming weaknesses in a program within the Department
of Defense that turns over excess military equipment like modified M16
assault rifles and night vision goggles to local law enforcement.
The Government Accountability Office's (GAO) report concluded that the DOD does not have proper controls in place to prevent military weapons falling into the wrong hands.
GAO
investigators posed as a fictitious federal law enforcement agency and
created a phony agency website. They applied and were granted access to
the DOD's program in early 2017 after completing an application to join
in late 2016.
The investigators
were able to obtain "over 100 controlled items with an estimated value
of $1.2 million, including night-vision goggles, simulated rifles and
simulated pipe bombs."
Their
report stated that the "DLA (Defense Logistics Agency) has deficiencies
in the process for verification and approval of federal law enforcement
applications and in the transfer of controlled property." It states
that DLA personnel did not routinely request and verify identification
of individuals picking up controlled property or check the quantity of
items transferred.
According
to the Defense Logistics Agency website, the weapons and equipment
donated are items that were "excess and turned over by military units or
had been held as part of reserve stocks until they are no longer
needed."
Since 1991, the Department
of Defense has reported transferring more than $6 billion worth of its
excess military equipment and weapons to more than 8,600 federal, state
and local law enforcement agencies.
A
spokesman for Adam Smith, the ranking member on the House Armed
Services Committee, told CNN via email that he is calling to potentially
suspend the program until the issue is fixed.
"DLA
(Defense Logistics Agency) annually transfers hundreds of millions of
dollars worth of taxpayer-funded excess military equipment to federal,
state, and local law enforcement agencies, the overwhelming majority of
which are departments of 50 or fewer people. As evidenced during the
unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, a few years ago, the transfer of
potentially lethal 'controlled' military equipment can become
controversial when the equipment is used inappropriately. It is
absolutely essential that DLA maintain accountability for this
equipment."
Last month, the GAO
sent a draft of their report to DOD making four recommendation to
address weaknesses in its processes and prevent weapons falling into the
wrong hands. The DOD has said it will make the necessary changes.
In
a statement, the Department of Defense told CNN: "The Defense Logistics
Agency is committed to properly allocating excess Defense Department
property to law enforcement agencies through the Law Enforcement Support
Office and continuously seeks ways to improve the program's policies,
procedures and internal controls."
The
agency added it takes the findings seriously and is vowing to correct
the deficiencies: "While GAO's recent review validated enhancements made
in the state/local law enforcement agency side of the program, it
highlighted vulnerabilities in the federal law enforcement side of the
program, which accounts for about 4% of the total law enforcement agency
enrollment."
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