State and local governments receive a small portion of their tactical weaponry and gear from the Department of Defense free of charge as part of a program started in the early 1990's. This map shows what kind of materials are distributed and where they end up. It is interesting to note the spatial distribution of items received by county and the relationship between number of suplus items and recognized population by county. Almost all local governments/states with a few exceptions receive some sort of surplus gear from the Department of Defense and saves those municipalities a good chunk of capital that can be spent on other local projects and programs.
