Inside the “black box” of 1033 Program military equipment use by local law enforcement

Abstract

PurposeRecent USA police responses to civil rights demonstrations have drawn attention toward the 1033 Program – a military surplus transfer program from the Department of Defense (DOD) to police agencies in the USA – as well as calls for dissolution or reform of the program. However, policy decisions have been sporadic and empirical literature examining the program have relied on public data, which contain information about equipment transfers, but does not show the frequency of agencies' use of this equipment – or contexts of use – once received.Design/methodology/approachThis study presents the findings of a survey of a national sample of law enforcement agencies that used the program to obtain armored vehicles, rifles, and body armor and how these agencies used this equipment in 2019 and 2020. Correlations and binary logistic regression models are tested for 2019 to examine the racial threat hypothesis and additional predictors of equipment use.FindingsA statistically significant correlation is found between perceived percentage of Black and other race residents and the frequency of armored vehicle deployment in 2019 and between the perceived percentage of other race residents and the percentage of special weapons and tactics (SWAT) officers wearing body armor. Perceived increases in drug crimes also significantly increase the likelihood of SWAT officers carrying military rifles, with increased odds of 402.3%.Originality/valueThis study is the first to examine contextual data surrounding law enforcement use of 1033 Program acquisitions with a national sample, assisting in providing greater accuracy in determining predictors and outcomes of the program's use.

1033 Program Data for Studying Policing and Militarization: An Open-source Database in Response to the Recommendations of Koslicki

“…In order to draw any reliable conclusions about the 1033 Program or its impacts, it is necessary to utilize reliable, valid data. Our work offers a potential solution to the issues identified by Koslicki (2022;2023) Our open-access database rectifies three concerns raised. First, Koslicki (2023) points out that the studies she reviewed are based on a variety of source data, including media outlets and the DOD.…”

“…Despite the attempts at analysis, the data are far from clear. Koslicki (2023) highlights several issues with the operationalization of 1033 Program data. Analyzing 14 articles, she found 12 did not properly utilize data.…”

“…Taken together, she notes these problems limit the scope of what researchers know about the effects of the 1033 Program and we should interpret findings with caution (Koslicki, 2023).…”

“…We rectify the data issues identified by Koslicki (2023) existing inventory catalog across the US and its territories. Unlike more aggregated presentations, the DLA LESO releases data at the agency-level.…”

“…Recommendation 3: Data Categorization Koslicki's (2023: 126-127) third and final recommendation for 1033 Program research is to maintain consistent categorization of key variables. Prior studies of 1033 Program equipment have used different classifications to discuss the same equipment, which may help explain differing results (Koslicki, 2023). The official DLA LESO database includes identifiers for categorization based on the level of militarization, whether the item must be returned (controlled or non-controlled), and the costs of items.…”