Hi (name),
Great question and here is my response:
Waunakee Police received a grenade launcher from military surplus in May of 1998. I was not the Chief. I can’t speak for the previous chief on why the Chief decided to obtain one.
I became Chief in the year 2000 and was not even aware that we had such a weapon.
The federal government audits equipment given to police departments. In the mid 2000’s a Sergeant and I tried to have the item returned, as I felt there would never be a use for it in civilian law enforcement. We were told to hang on to it, as the process to return it would be lengthy and time consuming.
Since then, it has been disabled and is in a safe in our armorer room. We have no ammunition and we don’t even possess an owner’s/operator manual.
If you have any more questions or need anything else let me know.
Chief Kevin Plendl
Waunakee Police Dept.
Via Why Does Waunakee, Wisconsin Need A Grenade Launcher? @ CAFFEINATED POLITICS.