1033 Program

(Newser) - Looking a gift chopper in the blades might not be a bad idea, if the experience of the Newark Police Department is anything to go by. The department accepted a 42-year-old Vietnam-era helicopter free from the military in 2005, and a second in 2007 for spare parts, but maintaining and...

(Newser) - It's not just municipal police forces that have obtained military-style weaponry through a federal program: Modified grenade launchers and M-16 rifles are on college campuses, too, the Chronicle of Higher Education reports. The publication finds that 117 colleges have received equipment thanks to a federal system called the 1033...

(Newser) - The 1033 Program allows law enforcement agencies to get hold of equipment the military is no longer using—for free. Last year, $546 million in property was transferred. Makes sense, right? If the army has gear just lying around, the cops may as well make use of it. But an...