THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 13, 1995 TAG: 9507130426
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Short : 45 lines
The reduction of the nation's military has led to a surplus of high-tech gear that Virginia's state and local police are now using in the war on crime - for free.
``We have a camera that can take a photo of someone 500 to 600 yards away,'' says Robert L. Tavenner, a state police Bureau of Criminal Investigation special agent. He has been handling acquisition of the military surplus during the past year and a half.
``We've just received a number of night vision scopes, originally costing $2,300 apiece,'' he said.
Then there's an $80,000 microscope for checking details of a photograph. ``It was designed for the military to get a close look at aerial photographs,'' Tavenner said.
After the end of the Cold War, Congress in 1990 authorized the dispersal of military surplus for use by law enforcement officers. Virginia has received nearly $5 million worth of equipment.
Tavenner said acquisition of the ``simple stuff, like the plastic, bullet-resistant helmets and 35mm cameras, is saving us hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. It's been a money-saver for us and for local police departments as well.''
Once a week, Tavenner disperses the gear from a Richmond warehouse to police officers from around the state.
``We have dispensed literally millions of dollars worth of property, some of it having never been used, ranging from combat boots, flak jackets and helmets to scuba diving equipment, including dry suits. Each of these suits costs about $2,500 and we got six,'' he said.
His shopping outlets have been the Defense General Supply Center at Bellwood in Chesterfield County and Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County.
But he has flown to a number of more distant military bases as well. He went to a Georgia military base, for example, to pick up a surplus Marine truck that had only 176 miles on the odometer. by CNB