More than a dozen Arkansas agencies have been temporarily suspended from a program that loans federal equipment to local and state law enforcement.
Arkansas agencies can apply for and receive military equipment, such as helicopters and rifles, from the U.S. Defense Department through a program operated by the state Law Enforcement Office. The program is more than 20 years old.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that since 2011, 18 state law enforcement agencies have been temporarily suspended from the program. Half of those suspensions were for administrative or procedural reasons. The other nine were issued because of equipment that was lost, stolen or used in an unauthorized way.
Federal officials say the program has provided local and state law enforcement agencies with more than $5 billion in military equipment nationwide.
