Sen. Carl Levin on transfer of military equipment to police agencies

WASHINGTON – Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the following today about a Defense Department program that transfers surplus military equipment to local law enforcement agencies:

“Congress established this program out of real concern that local law enforcement agencies were literally outgunned by drug criminals. We intended this equipment to keep police officers and their communities safe from heavily armed drug gangs and terrorist incidents. Before the defense authorization bill comes to the Senate floor, we will review this program to determine if equipment provided by the Defense Department is being used as intended.”