President Obama's order on military equipment unlikely to affect law enforcement in Sonoma County

Of about $1.7 million worth of decommissioned military equipment being used by North Coast law enforcement agencies, very little gear falls under restrictions outlined in a new executive order from President Barack Obama.

The president banned and limited certain battlefield gear, such as grenade launchers, long-range and mega-powerful .50-caliber rifles, bayonets and armored vehicles that roll on tracks designed for rugged terrain. The restrictions came in response to criticism around the nation that police departments are becoming militarized.

Law enforcement leaders in Sonoma, Lake, Napa and Mendocino counties said the majority of military equipment they have received has filled in gaps where budgets lack. Items received include toolkits, night vision gear and standard-issue police weapons like M16 rifles that are rarely used but are carried in most patrol cars.

Sonoma County Assistant Sheriff Robert Giordano said that the changes won’t limit the program’s benefit because, to his knowledge, the Sheriff’s Office has not sought the type of items the president banned.

“We didn’t see a need for those items in our community,” Giordano said.

The Sheriff’s Office has received nearly $250,000 worth of equipment since 2008, including most recently an aerial cargo net worth $1,851 and a weapon toolkit listed at $158.19 that shipped in March.

Launched in 1997, the so-called 1033 program has transferred about $5 billion in excess military equipment to local law enforcement agencies. It is just one of several federal programs that recycle military gear for civilian use, from tents and generators to trucks, all-terrain vehicles and even aircraft.

Intense scrutiny of the program erupted last year, when camouflaged officers with high-caliber rifles and armored vehicles confronted unarmed protesters after the killing of Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo. In August, Obama ordered a review of the program.

Amid public outcry, the Los Angeles Unified School District police unit in September announced it would return three grenade launchers it received through the program.

The U.S. Department of Defense began releasing a detailed list of equipment handed out through the program and the receiving agencies in November in response to public pressure and a push for public release of the data. The list is updated each quarter.

The president’s order, announced Monday, slows the flow of weaponized aircraft, armored trucks on tracks instead of wheels, bayonets and other ?military-grade battlefield equipment. Obama also curtailed the release of other kinds of equipment by requiring that agencies acquire the approval of the local governing body and provide an explanation of why they need the gear.

Among the changes, it will be harder for urban agencies to acquire camouflage uniforms, while that type of gear will still be available to rural agencies that operate in desert and woodland environments, particularly for marijuana eradication.

Not all North Coast agencies participate in the program. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office and the Santa Rosa Police Department were among those not on the Defense Department’s list.

Santa Rosa Police Chief Hank Schreeder said his department has received some federal property through other programs but, to his knowledge, it has not participated in the 1033 program because it did not have the need for such equipment or did not have the ability to maintain it.

“Nothing is free,” Schreeder said. “We just didn’t have the need.”

In Sonoma County, the highest-ticket items were two utility trucks shipped in 2012 listed at $63,894 and $41,447. Giordano said that item is likely a Humvee used by the search and rescue team and a broken-down Humvee acquired to provide replacement parts.

The Hopland Tribal Police, which currently has two officers and a chief, secured a vast quantity of gear in 2013 worth nearly $220,000.

Chief Mike Scalercio said the majority of the gear was stockpiled while the tribe was preparing to be a regional emergency shelter in the case of a natural disaster.

The long list of items includes ladders, tents, nails, lumber, lanterns, batteries and sleeping bags as well as a large quantity of utensils, dishes and clothing. The more valuable equipment includes a $13,000 trailer and expensive tool sets.

Scalercio said the tribe is well suited to be a resource in the case of an emergency because it is on higher ground and has a variety of services, like a community center, helicopter pad and the Hopland Sho-Ka-Wah Casino, that could be of use in the event of a disaster.

“The tribe is basically saying, if there is an emergency, this reservation is pretty central so everybody can come here,” Scalercio said.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office acquired two Vietnam-era armored trucks worth about $65,000 in 2002 to be used for SWAT operations. According to Lake County News, one of the trucks was replaced last year with a more modern SWAT vehicle from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office with wheels instead of tracks.

Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin said his agency recently received a pallet of sandbags through the program.

The president’s directive exempts agencies engaging in woodland illegal drug eradication from new restrictions on camouflage. Martin said that type of gear is essential for law enforcement agencies that operate in rural areas like Lake County.

“We use the night vision equipment for marijuana eradication operations, and those are the kinds of things available to us (through the program) that are extremely useful. … We wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford them because they are very expensive,” Martin said.

He said the Sheriff’s Office still uses two night vision viewers worth about $4,105 when received in 1998.

Even the type of mine-resistant armored truck worth $733,000 secured by the Napa Police Department in March 2014 could still be requested, although starting in October an agency must explain why that type of truck is needed and have backing by the city, county or other local governing body.

The Defense Department list includes nearly 450 items, including 77 standard-issue M16 rifles.

The Napa County Sheriff’s Office received a robotic explosive ord nance disposal robot in 2011.

“Maybe you don’t need it every day, but even if you needed it one time, the ability to send that thing in harm’s way and keep a deputy or officer at a distance, that is valuable,” Napa County Sheriff’s Capt. Doug Pike said. “That piece of equipment has already been paid for by tax dollars.”

The Petaluma Police Department acquired a dozen M16 rifles and four sniper rifles in 2006.

“We don’t see an impact with (Obama’s order) because we completely subscribe to the president’s view of applying the right equipment to the right situation with proper training and personnel,” Petaluma Police Lt. Ken Savano said.

The Cotati Police Department received 13 M16 rifles in April 2012, each worth $499.

“I needed patrol rifles, and it filled that need,” Chief Michael Parish said.

You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem.