BATTLE CREEK, Mich. –
Excess military equipment is now helping the Los Angeles Police Department in its local COVID-19 response.
The department has received three flatbed trucks from the Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services team at Barstow, California, through the Law Enforcement Support Office Program, also known as the 1033 Program.
LAPD officials said the department plans to use the versatile trucks the same way the military did: to move supplies. The vehicles will allow specialized teams to haul equipment and alleviate stress put on other departments, said Detective Josh Cho, the officer in charge of the Emergency Services Division’s Mobile Command Response Unit.
“Finding these trucks was nothing short of a godsend and a real testament to the efficacy of the 1033 Program. The resources we have at the LAPD have been stretched incredibly thin due to our deployment for the COVID-19 events occurring throughout Los Angeles,” he said in an email thanking DLA.
Cho said the trucks will remain in the LAPD’s fleet to assist teams hauling equipment for other emergencies.
“The Southern California region is familiar with its share of regional disasters and emergencies. From wildfires, earthquakes, flash floods and potential terrorist attacks, these trucks will assist the police department with all these incidents,” he added.
Tanya Andreasen a reuse, transfer and donation specialist with DLA Disposition Services at Barstow, was one of several people who assisted the LAPD when they picked up the trucks. She said she sees the positive impact her work and that of other DLA Disposition Services employees has on customers.
“This job makes me feel absolutely a part of something,” she added.