Missing Assault Rifles Lead Feds To End Surplus Weapons Giveaways To San Mateo, Napa County Sheriff's Offices
SAN MATEO (CBS SF) -- The San Mateo and Napa County Sheriff's offices will not be getting secondhand weapons and gear from federal agencies after assault rifles from both departments were discovered missing or unaccounted for.
According to a KQED report, the counties are among nine California law enforcement that have been suspended from the giveaway, known as The Department of Defense Excess Property Program (or 1033 Program).The California Office of Emergency Services operates the program in the state.
A Napa County Sheriff's representative confirmed to PBS that an M16 was stolen from a SWAT team member's private vehicle during an April break-in, and gave no indication that the weapon had since been recovered.
A spokesperson for the San Mateo County Sheriff said two M16 assault rifles are missing, but blamed the issue on a record keeping problem rather than theft.
The re-evaluation comes just weeks after private citizens balked at the delivery of $700,000 Mine Resistant Armor Protected Vehicles (MRAPs) to dozens of California agencies, including police in Redwood City, South San Francisco and Antioch. City officials in San Jose say they have taken steps to get rid of the MRAPs delivered to their officers.
The delivery of mine-resistant vehicles to local law enforcement agencies last month generated outcry over the militarization of police agencies in the United States.
It's not clear how long the agencies will be barred from participating in the program, but Cal OES spokesperson Kelly Huston told PBS "we are not going to have you acquiring additional gear if you can't account for that which you are already assigned."