Trump to Restore Program Sending Surplus Military Weapons, Equipment to Police

President Donald Trump plans to resume the transfer of surplus weapons, vehicles and other equipment from the nation's military to its state and local law enforcement agencies, reviving a program that was sharply curtailed by President Barack Obama two years ago. The program launched in 1990 but was greatly limited after public reaction to images of heavily militarized police in the streets of Ferguson, MO, and other sites of civil unrest.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the move Monday morning at the Fraternal Order of Police convention in Nashville, and said the president would do so by executive order. The police union had lobbied for the restoration of the program, and Trump said he would do so during his campaign.

The restrictions on distributing military surplus to police "went too far," Sessions told the FOP on Monday. "We will not put superficial concerns above public safety…The executive order the president will sign today will ensure that you can get the lifesaving gear that you need to do your job and send a strong message that we will not allow criminal activity, violence, and lawlessness to become the new normal. And we will save taxpayer money in the meantime."

Sessions concluded by telling the police convention, "We have your back and you have our thanks."