TN Agencies ordered to return weapons to DOD

[Dustbuster]

Funny but interesting...from chan 5 bna

 

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Law enforcement agencies across Tennessee face a major weapons recall.

The Department of Defense has sent a memo ordering agencies to return certain surplus military equipment deemed inappropriate for local law enforcement.

The memo requires departments to return all bayonets, M-79 grenade launchers and tracked armored vehicles, like tanks, that were obtained through the federal military surplus program.

NewsChannel 5 Investigates learned that four Tennessee law enforcement agencies must now return the bayonets they recently ordered through the program.

"They have to return the equipment,"  said David Roberson with the Tennessee Department of General Services which oversees the military surplus program in Tennessee.

"There aren't any exemptions being granted. An executive order has been issued."

Five Tennessee law enforcement agencies must return grenade launchers that they received.

And 11 departments must return tracked armored vehicles.

Concern about the military surplus program rose after people witnessed the police response to protestors in Ferguson, Missouri.

President Obama issued an Executive Order limiting the program and ordering this recall.

NewsChannel 5 Investigates discovered many Tennessee departments have used the surplus program to order military equipment used to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The departments obtain the equipment at little or no cost but must pay for transportation and maintenance.

Our investigation discovered that the Tennessee Highway Patrol ordered 135 bayonets in 2009 from the military surplus program.

The head of the THP, Col. Tracy Trott, told us last year that his department was getting out of the program and said it had no use for the bayonets.

"They were getting all this junk," Trott said. "Tents, bayonets that I can't see any reasonable need for it."

The recall does not include mine-resistant vehicles -- used overseas to protect soldiers from roadside bombs.

Lebanon Public Safety was one of several local departments to get one of the vehicles.

"The situations we would use this vehicle in is hostage negotiations," said Mike Justice with Lebanon Public Safety.

All departments must return the items by April of next year.

[Sam1]

Why the hell did the police need bayonets?

[KKing]

Why the hell did the police need bayonets?

From the sounds of it, they don't. Sounds like they were given an opportunity to get some stuff for little to nothing and accepted.


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[MP5_Rizzo]

Oh come on, they need something to chop those day old donuts into bite size morsels!

[bersaguy]

Maybe Obama has finally figured out that if he decides to do something stupid that he does not have the support of just about any law enforcement in any state at state level so he does not want them to have weapons that our military has. The law enforcement agencies in New York proved that when that stupid governor passed that law requiring all New Yorker's to register  their Black rifles and semi auto rifles and only about 5% of them did. All the law enforcement agencies including the state police told him to pound sand if he thought they were going knocking on doors to arrest anyone that did not register their guns. That busted his bubble don't ya know. Told him where he stood with regards to the law enforcement in his state................ :up:

Edited October 19, 2015 by bersaguy

[Pain103]

 I find it funny they put the M79 in the list seeing how I've never seen one used for anything other than gas launching. I assume it is because it is called a grenade launcher. I can agree with many of the things not being needed but I have never been at a department that had anything more than a few old A1 m-16s and maybe a some CUCV during inclement weather at a county agency.

[CommsNBombs]

The M79s are still useful - granted they have some high speed Gucci drum-fed launchers now but for "poor" PDs those are pretty useful to shoot some 40mm CS canisters at hippies

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[DaveTN]

My Boarding Party weapon was an M79 with anti-personnel rounds. (In case we needed to shoot everyone on the ship at once)

But they do have a use in less lethal situations.... Jails, Riots.

I thought the bayonets were funny. I bet someone ordered them knowing no one would want them and they have been sold on GB. Good luck getting those back Obama.

[DWARREN123]

Bet they were putting the bayonets on their Glocks.

M-79 with AP rounds is a nice party starter!

[mike_f]

Certainly I'm not the only one old enough to remember the 60's?  Bayonets were used with some regularity for riots back then.  :) 

 

[btq96r]

The bayonets being transferred were a joke.  Even troops overseas don't carry them anymore. No reason whatsoever for a police force to have them.  Using an M79 is a legit way to deploy tear gas, but so is just tossing it.

[bersaguy]

If Obama is really serious about getting his stuff back I would invite him to come and pick it but but would not spend time or money locally to send it back. I bet he would have trouble finding any troops that would be willing to come and pick the stuff back up..........jmho

[E4 No More]

I think that the agencies ought to charge the Feds a "reasonable" processing fee just like they charged the agencies to receive the property.

[bersaguy]

I think that the agencies ought to charge the Feds a "reasonable" processing fee just like they charged the agencies to receive the property.

Plus storage and maintenance fees while in storage. Said , depending of the item anywhere from a $100.00 a day up to a $1,000.00 a day would be a nice round figure!!!....................... :rock: 

[vontar]

got a direct link, I want to share this with some people in Oak Ridge but don't want to just post the complete text.  They won't read it.

[jughead]

maybe he is running scared. someone needs to slow him down congress wont.

[eapking]

So Obama is taking back all the military equipment he sold to local PDs for a song? Gotcha.

[Sam1]

The bayonets being transferred were a joke. Even troops overseas don't carry them anymore. No reason whatsoever for a police force to have them. Using an M79 is a legit way to deploy tear gas, but so is just tossing it.

But videos of them deploying at high rates of speed towards protesters is definitely more entertaining