Armored vehicles, robot, more purchased under military program
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/sep/23/armored-vehicles-robot-more-purchased-under/?st
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A sheriff's "Bearcat" light armored vehicle made its way up to a house in Santee, where a man was holed up in a 2011 incident
Armored vehicles, robot, more purchased under military program.
Armored vehicles, robot, more purchased under military program
Greg Moran
4:06 p.m.Sept. 23, 2014
Police agencies in San Diego County have bought close to $2 million in tactical and military-style gear since 2008, most of that for armored vehicles purchased using federal grant money by departments from Escondido to Chula Vista, state records show.
The outlay is twice as much as the value of the equipment law enforcement agencies have received for free under a similar federal program that has made national news and received scrutiny in Congress.
State records obtained by U-T Watchdog show that since 2008 local agencies have purchased armored vehicles, a high tech robot, mobile command center and other gear under section 1122 of the 1994 National Defense Authorization Act.
Six agencies Carlsbad, Chula Vista, Escondido, La Mesa and Oceanside police and the San Diego Sheriffs Department have paid $1.9 million for gear since January 1, 2008, the records show. The sheriffs department accounted for nearly half of the purchases.