Pentagon program: For some, it’s tanks, but no tanks

Two officials are trying to get more police agencies to use the giveaway program.

KIRTLAND, Ohio (AP) — Fewer than half of Ohio’s law-enforcement agencies take advantage of a Pentagon program that gives away used National Guard helicopters, body armor and other military surplus equipment to police and fire departments, state public safety officials said.

The program, started in 1996 to transfer used and surplus military parts and equipment, has been used by fewer than 400 of Ohio’s 1,100 police agencies.

“It might be hard to believe there is free stuff,” said U.S. Rep. Steve LaTourette, a Republican from Madison. “But for law enforcement, it is a treasure trove.”

LaTourette and Craig Batzer, an official with the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Law Enforcement Support Office, spoke about the program to law enforcement officers Wednesday in Kirtland, about 20 miles northeast of Cleveland.

Can be expensive

One hang-up with the program is that some equipment can be difficult or expensive to ship, or it lacks hard-to-find or expensive parts, officials said. A helicopter may not have rotor blades, for example, or an armored vehicle may not have brakes.

“Some have no engines or no wheels. Others you can drive off the lot,” Batzer said.

Police departments can view equipment via an online catalog, and tag it for later inspection, said Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Julie Ehrhart.

“It’s on a first-come, first-served basis,” she said.

Last year, the federal government distributed $140 million worth of free equipment to police and fire departments nationwide.

About 3,000 guns have been given to Ohio law enforcement agencies through the program, including 2,100 M-16 rifles, Ehrhart said.

The Pentagon has supplied the 10-officer police force in the tiny eastern Ohio village of Sugarcreek with a horse patrol, a 16-foot boat, five all-terrain vehicles and boxes of combat boots — all for free.

And the city of Ravenna, about 40 miles southeast of Cleveland, picked up helmets, weapons, cars and gas masks for its police department.

Law enforcement agencies across Ohio obtained 9,804 items in 2005, valued at $7.9 million, the fifth highest among the states in terms of dollar amount.