Burlington Police Sever Ties With Pentagon

At the end of September, the Burlington Police Department formally severed ties with a Department of Defense program responsible for transfering excess military gear to United States police departments. The department returned two pairs of night vision goggles, the only two pieces of equipment they had received, and Police Chief Brandon del Pozo announced that the department would not accept more equipment in the future.

“The militarization of local police departments is a genuine concern in our nation,” del Pozo said in a press release. Despite policing the largest urban area in the state, the Burlington Police Force was among the least involved departments in the redistribution program.

Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger supported the decision, which he believes “cements the Burlington Police Department’s long-standing practice of avoiding the use of military equipment, in contrast to many other police departments. Our focus instead is on the basics of good policing in the 21st century: foot patrols, strong relationships between the officers and the community, and the use of modern tools to increase public transparency and police effectiveness.”

Although military equipment could be essential in rare emergency situations, Weinberger and del Pozo opted to rely on the Vermont National Guard and the Vermont State Police in such a situation.

“Collectively, in the state, we have all the equipment to handle all but the most inconceivable situations, and it’s all on call,” del Pozo said in an interview with WCAX News. “Secondly, as a matter of our track record, we have not used this equipment to the extent that justifies having it, that justifies a relationship that people point to as the militarization of police departments.”

Although unprecedented in Vermont, Burlington’s change in policy reflected just one reaction to the nation-wide militarization of police. The issue that has been at the forefront of a controversial public debate since the militarized response to protesters in Ferguson, Missouri, following the shooting of Michael Brown.

“I think Ferguson was one of the real things that brought attention to this. If you are a hammer, then everything you see is a nail,” del Pozo said in the same interview with WCAX. “I think that’s the worry about military equipment in the hands of local police.”

The program responsible for equipment transfers is known as Defense Department Program 1033. Established in 1997, the program was intended to support the war on drugs, and later to aid in the fight against terrorism.

Since its inception, the program has distributed an estimated five billion dollars worth of equipment to police departments in the United States.

The program has delivered 610 Mine-Resistant Armored Trucks (MRAPs) around the country, as well as surplus night-vision goggles, scopes, body armor, and weapons, such as AK-15s and M-16s.

In the Spring of 2014, Vermont recieved it’s first and only MRAP. The vehicle, which weighs 40,000 pounds, stands ten feet tall, and is capable of deflecting roadside bombs, is currently housed in the National Guard’s armory in Windsor. After careful consideration, state police chose to remove the machine gun turret from the top of the vehicle.

According to an online database compiled by the news agency Seven Days Vermont, Addison County has received seven items of military gear through the program, including five M-14 Rifles and two M-16 Rifles. The Middlebury Police department has two of the M-14 variants.

Neighboring Orange County has received far more: 66 items in total, including two Humvees, a thermal sight, two industrial trailers, four M-14 Rifles and a variety of other accessories and training aids.

Critics of the redistribution programs argue that the presence of these military vehicles, guns and accessories is more likely to escalate violence than curb it.

“Amassing a worst-case scenario arsenal of military equipment results in officers seeing everyday police work through a military lens,” del Pozo said. “When I realized what a small role the military played in equipping our police, I concluded it was better to return the items and let our 1033 program memorandum of understanding expire.”

“There are times when military style equipment is essential for public safety, but they are very rare,” he explained.
Del Pozo admitted that the decision was largely symbolic, considering how little the department had actually received through the program, but that the department wanted to “make a statement.”

Not everyone in Vermont agreed with del Pozo’s decision. Critics have claimed that during natural disasters, or other crises, such equipment would be crucial for the safety of residents and officers.

In 2014, State Police Director Tom L’Esperance said that Vermont’s mine-resistant armored truck “... will help troopers get close to and help defuse a dangerous situation without exposing them to life-threatening danger. It’s a great piece of equipment,” he said, “however we hope we never need it.”

In fact, the MRAP was used during a murder investigation in February.

If purchased outright, mine-resistant vehicle normally costs around 500,000 dollars. Vermont’s MRAP cost just 8,000 dollars, or roughly the cost of transporting it from its military base. Vermont acquired a similar Bearcat vehicle in 2011. Both vehicles had to be repainted and customized for police use.

At the time, the acquisition made some Vermont residents nervous. In an interview with WCAX, former Marine Corps Col. Stephen Pomeroy said that, “From a former military guy’s point of view, it looks like an awful lot like the state police (are) escalating their firepower capabilities against a threat I don’t perceive to exist.”

Supporters of the program, on the other hand, claim that the program could be utilized for non-lethal support, at subsidized prices. According to the Congressional Research Service, the program offers a variety of law enforcement tools, such as “handcuffs, riot shields, holsters, binoculars and digital cameras.”

As a leader in this national dialogue, President Obama has pushed for revamping a ‘community-based’ model of policing. In May, when he visited Camden, New Jersey, he lauded their approach as a “symbol of promise for the nation.”

“It takes a special kind of courage to run towards danger,” he said in a speech, referring to police officers. “To be a person that residents turn to when they are most desperate. When you match courage with compassion – with care and understanding of the community like we’ve seen here in Camden – some really outstanding things can begin to happen.”

Obama contrasted Camden’s police with a militarized force: “We’ve seen how militarized gear can sometimes give people the feeling like there’s an occupying force,” he said, “as opposed to a force that’s part of the community that’s protecting them and serving them.”

Between 1990 and 2015, violent crime rates across the United States have declined. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, violent crime dropped 14.5 percent between 2004 and 2013. During this time, equipment transfers from the military have increased, largely due to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq winding down.

In August of 2014, in response to unrest in Ferguson, Obama ordered a review of the Defense Department Program 1033. According to a CBS News Report, the goal of the review was to ascertain “whether these programs are appropriate; whether state and local law enforcement are provided with the necessary training and guidance; and whether the federal government is sufficiently auditing the use of equipment obtained through federal programs and funding.”

The review was led by both members of the White House Staff and US agencies, from the National Security Council, Congress, the Domestic Policy Council, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, Treasury and Defense.
President Obama eventually decided to keep the program.