Bomb disposal robot joins Loveland police as military surplus program rebounds

Saja Hindi
The Coloradoan
Loveland Police Department SWAT Lt. Brent Newbanks demonstrates how to use one of the department's smaller robots, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017, at the Loveland Police Department.

After a decline in military surplus equipment flowing to Colorado law enforcement agencies, the numbers are rebounding and Larimer County agencies continue to benefit.

The federal 1033 program, created in 1997, allows the Department of Defense to transfer excess military equipment that might otherwise be destroyed to state and local law enforcement agencies at a fraction of the items' cost — they often pay for only shipping and maintenance.

President Barack Obama placed limits on the program at a time of increased scrutiny on police tactics amid the shooting deaths of black men by police around the country, but President Donald Trump later rescinded the restrictions.

Trump's plan rolled back the executive order blocking armored vehicles, large-caliber weapons, ammunition and other equipment, such as rocket launchers and bayonets, from being repurposed for police use. 

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Larimer County's law enforcement agencies don't anticipate the removal of restrictions on military surplus equipment available to them will change their requests too drastically.

In Larimer County, the most recent acquisition came this month: an explosive ordnance disposal robot for the Loveland Police Department, though the equipment obtained was previously allowed under the restrictions.

If the agency had purchased it from a private company, the approximately 50-pound robot for the bomb team would have costed thousands of dollars. Instead, the Loveland Police Department paid $300 for shipping.

The robot can pick up items with its claw, turn doorknobs and help clear areas, and it also has a camera so the operator can see what's happening in the area the robot is located.

Loveland Police Department SWAT Lt. Brent Newbanks opens up the control module for the department's new tactical robot, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017, at the Loveland Police Department.

Between 1997 and June 2017, the Loveland Police Department obtained 30 rifles — M14s and M16s, four EOD robots and 40 ballistic goggles, according to records from the Defense Logistics Agency.

The smaller robots, Recon Scout robots, are mostly used by the SWAT team, SWAT commander Lt. Brent Newbanks said, to move quietly around residences and clear them.

Much of the equipment is too expensive for the department to obtain otherwise, according to Newbanks, so access to the program has been very helpful for Loveland and smaller rural departments.

Fort Collins Police Services received 12 rifles, according to the agency's records — five M14s were obtained via transfer from the Sedgewick County Sheriff's Office, one via transfer from the Mountain View Police Department, four via transfer from the Rio Blanco County Sheriff's Office and two via transfer from the Boulder County Sheriff's Office.

When the Coloradoan first reported about the 1033 program in 2014, Fort Collins had only five rifles.

The Larimer County Sheriff's Office obtained 20 rifles, four night vision units, one bomb disposal robot and three Humvee utility trucks.

All three agencies say they use the rifles obtained through the program mainly for ceremonial purposes.

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The Estes Park Police Department took advantage of the program just this year, acquiring 10 laptops in June and a high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle in February.

Estes Park Police Department Chief Wes Kufeld said the vehicle the agency received is a 2008 model, and it only had 3,600 miles on it.

"Its usefulness in high-risk or critical situations will be a lifesaver for our officers," he said.

Loveland Police Department SWAT Lt. Brent Newbanks shows some of the outdated rifles bought as military surplus, now used for training and ceremonial purposes at the department, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017, at the Loveland Police Department in Loveland, Colo.

While many people focus on armored vehicles from the 1033 program, Larimer County Sheriff's Office, Loveland Police Department and Fort Collins Police Services each already have a BearCat armored vehicle, Newbanks points out.

The state's 1033 program is overseen by Colorado State Patrol's Alice Huyler, who said the agency is waiting on further guidance about the restrictions and any potential changes to the program.

A 2016 report shows a dip in participation in 2015, which may "have reflected a climate of increased scrutiny of law-enforcement agencies, when agencies were hesitant to associate with the program."

But the report shows that 2016 saw a significant increase.

Active agencies requested more equipment, and new agencies began making requests, for a total of 139 agencies requesting almost $7.5 million worth of equipment in the state.

By the numbers: 1033 program use by Colorado agencies

2014

  • 137 active agencies
  • $10.8 million in value of equipment acquired
  •  $20.3 million in value of equipment tracked on inventory

2015

  • 135 active agencies
  • $1.6 million in value of equipment acquired
  • $20.2 million in value of equipment tracked

2016

  • 139 active agencies
  • $7.4 in value of equipment acquired
  • $25.4 million in value of equipment tracked

SOURCE: Colorado State Patrol 1033 and 1122 annual report

Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith said while the restrictions that were lifted won't necessarily affect his office, especially because much of the equipment is outdated, he feels the placement of the restrictions was more of a political ploy than anything else.

Smith said people would reference the riots police responded to in Ferguson, Missouri, after the police killing of Michael Brown as an example of the militarization of police.

But Smith contends that the armored vehicles being pointed to weren't even military surplus vehicles, so the focus on pulling back mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles (MRAPs) didn't make sense.

Still, critics argue that military equipment shouldn't be in the hands of local police.

In Colorado, local agencies obtained 10 MRAPs in 2014.

"With an original acquisition value ranging from $412,000 to $733,000, these vehicles accounted for more than $6.1 million of the $10.8 million in equipment acquired in 2014," a Colorado State Patrol report stated.

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No MRAPs were acquired in 2015. The two MRAPs acquired in 2016 made up $7.7 millionof the total equipment value in 2016, or about one-fourth of the total.

And while some of those vehicles may be beyond what a smaller local police agency needs, Smith said, for those smaller agencies, the ability to get any armored vehicle at such a low cost is beneficial.

"The reality is policing has always used military technologies," he said, citing gear adapted for police use back to the 1930s.

Smith said he also feels some of the terminology used to describe the equipment being restricted is misleading.

For example, he noted that what the military may call a grenade launcher may be referred to by police as less-lethal gas or foam projectiles or smoke to obscure an area.

The Larimer County Sheriff's Office utilizes the bomb robot it acquired through the program as the need arises. The utility trucks are often driven in parts of unincorporated Larimer County in the backcountry or during natural disasters such as the 2013 floods, but Smith said they don't get a lot of use. The reason he cites is the paperwork required each time one is used is cumbersome.

Humvee utility truck vehicles obtained by the Larimer County Sheriff's Office from the federal 1033 program.

While Smith said he believes police should be held accountable, it's often more important to look at policing attitudes across the country.

He points out that some of the equipment in the 1033 program is also available on the private market and any citizen can purchase it, including armored vehicles.

Newbanks said the Loveland Police Department definitely understands maintaining good public perceptions, and police only request equipment through the program that they think will help protect the residents.

"We're very cognizant of not just getting anything we can get," he said.

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The equipment is being used more as a defensive tool, rather than offensive, he said. And as more situations occur where people are armed, officers want to make sure they're prepared.

"Police work develops and reacts to the situations they're responding to," he said, adding that tools change in the private industry as well.

Reporter Saja Hindi covers public safety and local politics. You can follow her on Twitter @BySajaHindi or email her at shindi@coloradoan.com.