Geographies of U.S. Police Militarization and the Role of the 1033 Program

Policing Through Subsidized Firepower: An Assessment of Rational Choice and Minority Threat Explanations of Police Participation in the 1033 Program*

“…For LEAs in the United States, a popular source for acquiring such military equipment and technology is the DoD's 1033 Program (Dansky, ; Endebak, ; Grasso, ; Harris et al., ; Radil, Dezzani, and McAden, ). The 1033 Program originated with the National Defense Authorization Act of 1990 and, under several different titles, has provided LEAs military equipment warehoused to storage (for a maximum of 2 weeks) by the DoD.…”

“…Even though there is a growing body of scholars who argue that participation in the 1033 Program makes an excellent test case for theories of police militarization (Ajilore, ; Bove and Gavrilova, ; Dansky, ; Delehanty et al., ; Harris et al., ; McQuoid and Vitt, ; Radil, Dezzani, and McAden, ), it is not an exhaustive indicator of police militarization . We focus on the 1033 Program, however, because accessing materiel such as weaponry, vehicles, and uniforms is an early and often necessary step for many LEAs toward further militarization in the dimensions of language and terminology, organizing using military principles, and practicing military‐style tactics (Ajilore, ; Insler, McMurray, and McQuoid, ; Kraska, ; Phillips, ).…”

“…We focus on the 1033 Program, however, because accessing materiel such as weaponry, vehicles, and uniforms is an early and often necessary step for many LEAs toward further militarization in the dimensions of language and terminology, organizing using military principles, and practicing military‐style tactics (Ajilore, ; Insler, McMurray, and McQuoid, ; Kraska, ; Phillips, ). Moreover, the fact that the 1033 Program provides free materiel allows resource‐poor LEAs the capacity to create PPUs and emulate policing efforts that may otherwise only occur in larger, better resourced departments (Dansky, ; Radil, Dezzani, and McAden, ).…”

Assessing the Direct and Indirect Effects of Legitimacy on Public Empowerment of Police: A Study of Public Support for Police Militarization in America

“…In the wake of September 11, 2001 terror attacks, additional funding streams allowed departments to acquire new technologies and equipment, further promoting the militarization of local law enforcement (Balko ; Chaffetz and Cummins ). Radil et al (: 208) and Delehanty et al () noted that 80 percent of U.S. counties had received equipment through the 1033 Program between 2006 and 2013 . To date, over 8000 law enforcement agencies, representing roughly 45 percent of all police agencies in the United States, have participated in the Program (Defense Logistics Agency ).…”

“…Respondents were asked whether law enforcement should be able to (1) use surplus military weapons (e.g., assault weapons, AR-15/M4; submachine guns, MP5), (2) use surplus military vehicles (e.g., BearCat armored personnel carrier, mine resistant ambush protected vehicle-MRAP), (3) use surplus military equipment (e.g., computers, tools, generators, etc. ; see, e.g., Radil et al 2017), and (4) wear military style uniforms. Respondents indicated agreement with each statement on a Likert scale ranging from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 4 (Strongly agree), with higher values indicating more support for police use of surplus military equipment.…”