Images of police officers aiming assault rifles and driving armored ex-military vehicles through crowds in Ferguson, Mo., have left some people wondering what types of weapons their local police force has at its disposal.
Ball State’s campus hasn’t received these types of weapons through the Pentagon’s 1033 program, which gives excess military weapons to civilian police forces, said Jim Duckham, associate director of public safety at the University Police Department.
Duckham wouldn’t release which types of weapons UPD has access to outside of the program, saying it would be a security risk.
Police departments have torequest the equipment from the Pentagon, which then decides if the department has a need for the equipment.
Muncie police, who would likely be involved with an on-campus emergency, have received six M16A1 rifles from the Pentagon program, along with several other pieces of equipment, including trucks, vehicle doors and 23 bayonets, according to a database of state police agencies’ equipment compiled by the Indy Star.
Assault rifles, military weapon scopes, body armor and mine-resistant armored trucks have been given to many police forces across the country through the 1033 program, according to the American Civil Liberties Union’s report, “The Excessive Militarization of American Policing.”
Along with Muncie police and UPD, the Delaware County Sheriff’s office would likely respond to an emergency requiring the use of this equipment.
For example, last year’s reports of a gunman in the Jo Ann Gora Student Recreation and Wellness Center brought officers from at least six police departments to campus, including Muncie Police and Delaware County Sheriff’s departments.
The Delaware County Sheriff’s office has received some equipment from the pentagon, including three M16A1 rifles and 14 .45 caliber pistols, according to the database.
Other universities across the state have used the Pentagon’s program to receive surplus military weapons to bolster their armories.
At Indiana University in Bloomington, police have received six M16 assault rifles since 1997.
IUPUI received a somewhat larger arsenal, including six M16A1s, three M16s and 12 military-grade .45 caliber pistols. Purdue University’s police department received three M14 battle rifles.
The M16 is a standard-issue military rifle used since the 1960s. The M16A1, an updated model, can empty a 30-bullet clip in less than three seconds, according to colt.com.
The M14, an automatic rifle otherwise known as a battle rifle, uses a full-power rifle round and is accurate up to about 500 yards. It is typically used by marksmen.
These weapons have been the standard-issue rifle for American soldiers dating back to the 1960s.
Many people became aware of the 1033 program from images of police wearing military combat body armor and aiming military weapons at American civilians to quell riots in Ferguson, Mo., after Michael Brown was killed by officer Darren Wilson.
Rick Richman, captain at the Delaware County Sheriff’s office, said his department hosts eight weapon-shoots each year to train officers. Officers who are part of the SWAT team go through three additional training sessions each year where they practice with the high-powered weaponry.
Richman said the weapons are invaluable in a world where criminals have access to the same equipment.
He referenced a bank robbery known as the “North Hollywood Shootout,” where two men robbed a bank wearing body armor and carrying AK-47 assault rifles on Feb. 28, 1997. Police didn’t have access to armor-piercing rounds nor weapons other than their service pistols and shotguns, which couldn’t pierce the body armor worn by the criminals, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“If you look back at the LA bank shootout, you have all those LAPD guys that were out-gunned,” Richman said. “[Assault rifles] are out there for the general public, and there are [criminals] that have those type of weapons, you have [police] that are out-gunned if they only have pistols.”
Even though many police forces have access to these high-powered weapons, it doesn’t mean they are going to be used every day, Richman said.
“We kind of weigh every situation differently,” he said. “Only the worst of the worst is when the [SWAT] team goes out.”
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