Johnson County says federal policies won’t change use of armored vehicle

IOWA CITY - President Barack Obama has announced restrictions on what kinds of military equipment local law enforcement agencies can get from the federal government, while adding regulations for how other items may be used.

The move follows recent flashpoints between police and the public - Ferguson, Missouri, is specifically cited in the report - and bans law enforcement agencies from acquiring such items as track-driven armored vehicles, grenade launchers or large caliber firearms.

Police departments can still acquire riot shields or wheeled armored vehicles - like Johnson County's Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle - but will have to justify their use.

Johnson County Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek said he doesn't anticipate much impact on the county's armored truck, which he said has only been used a handful of times since it was acquired last year, and just for flood rescue or incidents requiring protection for officers and the public.

'We don't have an offensive weapon, we're not looking for an offensive weapon ... It's a strictly non-offensive tool in our toolbox,” Pulkrabek said. 'It really is a rescue recovery piece of protection for our officers and or people that we may need to rescue.”

For Johnson County Supervisor Janelle Rettig, the changes are not drastic enough.

'As far as I'm concerned they should take the MRAP back, I don't feel like we have any need for it,” she said. 'If Obama hasn't asked for it back, he hasn't gone far enough.”

In the future, transfer of items on the controlled equipment list will require the consent of the agency's respective governing body, such as city council or Board of Supervisors - something Rettig said should have happened in Johnson County.

'It was purchased with no public discussion, no public debate at all, that should not be allowed,” she said.

According to a Monday news release from the White House Office of the Press Secretary, the President's initiative follows a review by the Departments of Justice, Defense and Homeland Security of the federal Local Law Enforcement Equipment Acquisition program, which gives surplus military equipment to local police forces at little to no cost.

'On the basis of that review, the working group developed a series of concrete steps to enhance accountability, increase transparency, and better serve the needs of law enforcement and local communities,” according to the release. 'The President has directed departments and agencies to put the working group's recommendations into practice and continue to partner with law enforcement and local communities during the implementation process.”

The President's January Federal Support for Local Law Enforcement Equipment Acquisition executive order, which ultimately led to the changes, stemmed from public concerns over 'what has been described as the ‘militarization' of law enforcement,” according to the report.

Officials found a 'lack of consistency in how Federal programs are structured, implemented, audited, and informed,” the report states.

To address that, law enforcement agencies that acquire controlled equipment after Oct. 1 must provide an application including detailed justification. Agencies with controlled equipment will have to adopt general policing standards to identify appropriate use, supervision and training, according to the report.

Pulkrabek said law enforcement officials are often filing reports and receiving training for equipment. The MRAP is no different, he said.

'Everything we train with we hope to never need, but it's part of being in law enforcement, you have to be prepared to respond to a litany of situations,” he said.

More than a dozen Iowa law enforcement agencies have MRAP-type vehicles including the Washington Police Department and agencies in Des Moines County and Marshalltown.