• Contact Us
  • Events calendar
Entering Swellesley
Pinnacle, Wellesley

The Swellesley Report

More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

  • Advertise
  • Wellesley Square
  • Deland, Gibson Insurance Athlete of the Week
  • Camp
  • Private schools, sponsored by Riverbend
  • Business index
  • Contribute
  • Eat
  • Schools
  • Top 10 things to do
  • Embracing diversity
  • Kids
  • About us
  • Events
  • Natick Report
  • Seniors
  • Letters to the editor
  • Guidelines for letters to the editor
  • Live government meetings
  • Raiders sports schedules & results
  • Fire & police scanner
  • 2023 Town Election
 
Needham Bank, Wellesley
Write Ahead, Wellesley

Defending Wellesley: What the DoD has doled out to local police

December 5, 2014 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

UPDATED: 12/16/14 with comments and information from the Wellesley Police Department

Muckrock, a news site that specializes in requesting and revealing government documents, has published a big list of surplus weapons, vehicles and less glamorous office equipment distributed by the Pentagon to local police and other government departments. The 20+ year-old government giveaway (recipients may need to pick up the tab for transport/shipping) — officially known as the 1033 Program — has come under scrutiny in light of the show of military might by authorities in Ferguson, Mo., recently, and thus, details on the program have now surfaced. The “recycling” program has doled out some $5B worth of surplus gear since 1990, according to Muckrock.

The Wellesley Police Department has been among the beneficiaries to the tune of $105K worth of stuff, from trucks to goggles to a rifle.

Perhaps you’ve seen the Humvee that the police secured for doing their job in the worst of weather conditions, as they did in assisting a woman who went into labor while her husband was driving her to Newton-Wellesley Hospital during a snowstorm last year. The police emphasize that this vehicle actually does not have any special armor, though did get a custom paint job to cover up the camouflage. The WPD also acquired a Humvee for the fire department, which is in the process of getting it certified by the state as a backup ambulance.

Here’s the list of Wellesley goodies from the DoD published by Muckrock:

Item Quantity Total Value
TRUCK,UTILITY 2 $82,894.00
ASSAULT PACK 60 $5,398.20
SIGHT,HOLOGRAPHIC 12 $4,545.20
GOGGLES,BALLISTIC 80 $4,413.60
HYDRATION SYSTEM 54 $2,923.56
JACKET,COLD WEATHER 44 $2,918.52
SIGHT,REFLEX 3 $1,020.00
PACK,MEDICAL TRAUMA 1 $539.43
RIFLE,7.62 MILLIMETER 3 $414.00
HEADLIGHT 1 $94.95

 

Wellesley Police Chief Terrence Cunningham says that the department has actually received relatively few items since the inception of the program and that a number of those listed above are no longer in its possession and have been returned to the DoD.

backpack dod wellesley policeCunningham writes to us that “Many of the items listed are described using government terminology making them sound much more menacing then they actually are. By way of example, the ‘Assault Pack’ is actually a common backpack that the officers use to carry their personal equipment. The ‘Goggles, Ballistic’ are simple eye protection that the officers wear during training exercises.” Both are shown here.

“There is little disagreement among law enforcement leaders that there may be some equipment that has been available and received by law enforcement agencies that may not be needed,” Cunningham says. “There may also be agencies that have received more equipment than they need based on the agency size or mission. Undoubtedly, there are agencies that have made poor choices in the use of the equipment or even misused some of it. Therefore, it is incumbent upon each Law Enforcement Agency (LEA) that participates in the program and those distributing the equipment to those LEAs to develop appropriate policies, procedures and training to ensure that the equipment is being properly deployed. This will help to ensure the viability of the program for the future use of LEAs and to limit the unnecessary destruction of useful government property.”

print

Filed Under: Police

Comments

  1. Jen Looper says

    December 8, 2014 at 10:50 pm

    This is an excellent piece of reporting. Thank you for shedding light on this very important issue, the militarization of the police. Wellesley police needs a humvee, are you kidding me? Sometimes I think there’s a slippage between reality and video games in this country and it’s really causing issues.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Linden Square, Wellesley
Riverbend, Natick

Tip us off…

Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

 

Advertisements

Wellesley Square, Wellesley Merchants
Wellesley, Jesamondo
Beacon Hill Athletic Club, Wellesley
Fay School, Southborough
Sexton test prep
Feldman Law
Wellesley Theatre Project
Volvo
Cheesy Street Grill
Mature Caregivers
Admit Fit, Wellesley
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Never miss a post with our free daily Swellesley Report email
Name: 
Your email address:*
Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide

You can subscribe for free, though we appreciate any contribution that supports our independent journalism.

Click on Entering Natick sign to read our Natick Report

Entering Natick road sign

Most Read Posts

  • Sign up now for summer camp in Wellesley (and beyond)
  • Letters-to-the-editor day in Wellesley—important election-time updates
  • Wellesley business buzz: Board business liaison phased out; Help ID top business leaders of color; Hospital taps new president
  • Wellesley Cotillion makes a strong comeback
  • Business buzz: Nantucket wine bar to boast Wasik's cheeses; Needham Bank has new Wellesley branch manager; Thanks to new sponsor Beacon Hill Athletic Clubs

Upcoming Events

Jan 26
9:00 am - 10:30 am

Select Board office hours—in-person or online

Jan 31
9:00 am - 11:00 am Recurring

Coffee and Conversation with the Wetlands Administrator and Staff

Jan 31
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Families Eat Together online presentation

Feb 1
11:59 pm

Deadline for Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club grants application

Feb 3
10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Sara Campbell winter warehouse sale

View Calendar

Popular pages

  • Wellesley’s 7 official scenic roads

Recent Comments

  • LADY WELLESLEY on Wellesley police officer injured in crash at intersection of Grove and Benvenue
  • Peggy Heffernan on Wellesley police officer injured in crash at intersection of Grove and Benvenue
  • Beth Dublin on Wellesley police officer injured in crash at intersection of Grove and Benvenue
  • Erika on Where to buy the Wellesleyest stuff in Wellesley
  • Alice Roy on Inside Track has jewel of a Wellesley engagement scoop

Links we like

  • Danny's Place
  • Great Runs
  • Jack Sanford: Wellesley's Major League Baseball Star
  • Tech-Tamer
  • The Wellesley Wine Press
  • Universal Hub
  • Wellesley Sports Discussion Facebook Group

Categories

  • 2021 Town Election (24)
  • 2023 Town Election (2)
  • Animals (428)
  • Antiques (49)
  • Art (592)
  • Beyond Wellesley (52)
  • Books (376)
  • Business (1,556)
  • Camp (11)
  • Careers/jobs (53)
  • Churches (82)
  • Clubs (236)
  • Construction (300)
  • Dump (130)
  • Education (3,189)
    • Babson College (252)
    • Bates Elementary School (18)
    • Dana Hall School (36)
    • Fiske Elementary School (11)
    • Hardy Elementary School (47)
    • Hunnewell Elementary School (46)
    • MassBay (57)
    • Schofield Elementary School (26)
    • Sprague Elementary School (19)
    • St. John School (2)
    • Tenacre Country Day School (11)
    • Upham Elementary School (35)
    • Wellesley College (613)
    • Wellesley High School (996)
    • Wellesley Middle School (204)
  • Embracing diversity (84)
  • Entertainment (814)
  • Environment (772)
  • Fashion (144)
  • Finance (15)
  • Fire (173)
  • Food (358)
  • Fundraising (641)
  • Gardens (164)
  • Government (604)
    • 2020 Town Election (47)
    • 2022 Town Election (15)
  • Health (866)
    • COVID-19 (203)
  • Hikes (6)
  • History (399)
  • Holidays (440)
  • Houses (162)
  • Humor (47)
  • Kids (867)
  • Law (8)
  • Legal notices (10)
  • Letters to the Editor (71)
  • Media (72)
  • METCO (4)
  • Military (13)
  • Morses Pond (109)
  • Music (579)
  • Natick Report (30)
  • Neighbors (280)
  • Obituaries & remembrances (86)
  • Outdoors (655)
  • Parenting (63)
  • Police (778)
    • Crime (395)
  • Politics (554)
  • POPS Senior Profile (10)
  • RDF (6)
  • Real estate (344)
  • Religion (138)
  • Restaurants (340)
  • Safety (155)
  • Scouts (2)
  • Seniors (127)
  • Shopping (163)
  • Sponsored (6)
  • Sports (1,012)
    • Athlete of the Week (12)
  • STEM (108)
  • Technology (165)
  • Theatre (397)
  • Town Meeting (23)
  • Transportation (240)
  • Travel (17)
  • Uncategorized (1,244)
  • Volunteering (350)
  • Weather (179)
  • Wellesley Election 2019 (21)
  • Wellesley Free Library (280)
  • Wellesley Holiday Gift Guide (2)
  • Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend (20)

© 2023 The Swellesley Report
Site by Tech-Tamer · Login