Police use obscure federal program to borrow military gear

WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — Police in the North Carolina city of Wilmington have been borrowing military surplus items such as generators and M-16 rifles from the Department of Defense.

The Wilmington Star News reported Tuesday that the city’s police department is using an obscure federal program to get the equipment. It’s been borrowing the gear for the past 16 years.

Wilmington police Capt. Rodney Dawson said that patrol officers are assigned M-16 rifles because those weapons exist on the street. He said officers need to be prepared if confronted by a suspect armed with that kind of rifle.

Dawson added that the weapons cannot be used for crowd control or civil disturbances.

The equipment is being lent out free of charge.

“Tax dollars have already paid for these items, so instead of the military disposing of them, they’re basically given a second life through law enforcement,” Dawson said.

The police department has made modifications to some of the equipment. For instance, they removed turrets from all-terrain vehicles that are used for high-water rescues. They also downgraded the M-16 rifles from being fully automatic to semi-automatic.

A helicopter and surveillance drones also came from the program.