Sec. 3. Findings
238 words·~1 min read·
/bill/114/s/1245/is/section-3·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Congress finds the following: There is a lack of reliable data and information on the amount and types of weapons and equipment that law enforcement agencies purchase using Federal funding, and the use and deployment of those weapons and equipment. The Federal Government lacks reliable data and information about the number, composition, and deployment of Special Weapons and Tactics teams (referred to in this section as SWAT teams ). According to estimates, the percentage of small towns in the United States that had SWAT teams grew from 20 percent in the 1980s to 80 percent in the mid-2000s.
According to estimates, the number of SWAT team raids per year grew from 3,000 in the 1980s to 45,000 in the mid-2000s. The majority of SWAT team deployments are for the purpose of executing a warrant. In 2014, the Federal Government provided more than $2,000,000,000 in grants and equipment to law enforcement agencies. In 2013 and 2014, the Department of Defense provided excess Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles (referred to in this section as MRAPs ) to 624 local law enforcement agencies for free.
MRAPs can weigh up to 17 tons and cost up to $600,000, and are known to damage road surfaces due to their weight. State and local governments that are responsible for oversight of their law enforcement agencies are not always aware of equipment and grant funding that the law enforcement agencies obtain from the Federal Government.