Madison police and 23 other law enforcement agencies across Wisconsin each received a mine-resistant armored vehicle from the program.
Police in Sturgeon Bay got an outboard motor out of it, among other items.The Department of Defense has given Wisconsin police departments and sheriff’s offices $25.6 million worth of surplus military equipment since 1997, according to a federal database.
The Defense Logistics Agency, which oversees the 1033 program, as it’s known, released the extensive database late last month, showing what law enforcement agencies in every state and U.S. territory have received.
The program has come under fire in recent months from critics and lawmakers who say it has accelerated a militarization of American police departments.
“Neighborhoods are not war zones, and police officers should not treat the people they’re policing like wartime enemies,” said Molly Collins, associate director of the ACLU of Wisconsin.
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