Why don't police departments retain accurate records of the SEND Act from the DOD?

The Defense Department recently fired off a round of letters warning state law enforcement officials to track down every gun, helicopter and Humvee that the military had given them under a $2.6 billion surplus program, or have their access to the handouts cut off.

The problem, according to the states: At least some of them had already turned over that information.

All the same, officials at the Defense Logistics Agency have stopped issuing weapons to thousands of police departments until they're satisfied they've had a full accounting of where all the giveaways have landed.

While some of the state liaisons said they don't expect major hassles complying with the broad review, others said Friday that the letters show the Defense Department's own troubles keeping abreast of paperwork and add another layer to an overly bureaucratic process that, on its face, is fairly straightforward.

The defense agency's Law Enforcement Support Office provides police and sheriffs' departments with equipment ranging from guns and helicopters to computers and air conditioners and even toilet paper. The goods are cheap or free to acquire, but much of them come with strict rules that prohibit them from being sold and dictate how they must be tracked.

Associated Press inquiries into how the program is administered in all 50 states and several U.S. territories, however, show that most of them only keep paper records, and the few states that keep electronic records only recently made the switch from paper.

"That's the problem with the entire program is it's paper-based when it should be automated," said Michigan National Guard Master Sgt. David Sass.

Sass, who has been the state's coordinator for just four months, said he already feels like he's dealing with a broken system.

"The current program they have is inefficient and ineffective and truly not of the quality and value we need to accomplish our ultimate goal of property accountability," Sass said.

What worries Sass the most is being asked to certify, under the penalty of perjury, what law enforcement agencies tell him about the weapons they got from the Pentagon. The letters the Defense Department sent out late last month demand "a complete (100 percent) weapons physical inventory," in accordance with the program's rules.

Sass said there are more law enforcement agencies in his state than there are work days in the year and it would be impossible for him to personally check the inventory of each one.

"I'm quite concerned," he said. "Realistically, how can we be expected to verify that they have all their weapons without them being honest?"

The military decided to conduct a "one-time, clean sweep" of all state inventories instead of reviewing them piecemeal, said Kenneth MacNevin, a spokesman for the federal agency. While some gear, including guns, has been stolen or otherwise gone missing over the years, MacNevin said the reporting requirements themselves aren't new and that the review wasn't prompted by anything specific.

"Leadership decided to make sure we have a good, full accounting for all of this," he said. "We're not doing this based on any thought there's a problem. We're doing it because accountability is accountability."

The surplus program has grown exponentially in recent years, with a record $498 million worth of property distributed in fiscal year 2011. That includes $191 million in aircraft alone and more than 15,000 weapons worth nearly $4.8 million. Military officials said the program has become more popular as law enforcement agencies sustain deep budget cuts.
http://www.foxcarolina.com/story/18734912/apnewsbreak-pentagon-halts-free-guns-for-police

 Send Iraq equipment to the U.S. Bill (Send Equipment for National Defense (SEND) Act.
 H.R. 3422 the Send Equipment for National Defense (SEND) Act. This legislation mandates that the Secretary of Defense transfer 10% of eligible returning equipment from Iraq to state and local law enforcement agencies for border security purposes. Eligible equipment would include: humvees, night vision equipment and surveillance unmanned aerial vehicles. This equipment would be made available to the officials through an already existing DOD program.  Other equipment could also be sent to officials at the discretion of the Department of Defense. 
 
“The American people have invested billions of dollars in equipment used to secure Iraq; now it’s time to use that equipment to secure the United States”, said Poe.  “State and local officials are doing the job of the federal government—defending the international border with Mexico. It’s time that Washington gives them the resources they need to protect Americans from cross border crime. Sending this equipment to the southern border would give Americans a return on their investment by enhancing ournational security.”

Over the next several months, a massive draw down of U.S. Forces in Iraq will occur. More than 1.5 million pieces of equipment have already been shipped out of Iraq over the last year and nearly 900,000 remain. Much of this equipment would be useful to the federal, state and local law enforcement in their efforts to secure the border with Mexico. There is also a waiver in the bill that states that if the Department of Defense certifies to Congress that there is an urgent need for the equipment then DOD will keep the equipment.
 http://poe.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8454