Small-Town Police Departments Are Getting Billions In Big Military Hardware

In Iraq and Afghanistan, you'll find U.S. troops with M16 rifles, Humvee trucks, and high-tech surveillance equipment, but that military hardware is increasingly showing up in small-town police departments.

Part of what's known as the "1033 Program" meant to augment police departments fighting the drug war, military gear is showing up in large numbers, and in some unlikely places, as an Associated Press investigation found.

With little oversight and a "if I don't get it, someone else will" mentality among police chiefs, the AP found some interesting (and somewhat shocking) finds:

-- Morven, Ga.: Despite having an ankle-deep creek as it's deepest body of water, the police chief got his hands on three boats, scuba gear, and rescue rafts.

-- Rising Star, Texas: With a population of 835 residents, and only one full-time police officer, this department netted more than $3.2 million in property over 14 months.

-- Bureau Count, Ill.: The sheriff — who had government-issued M14 rifles — was accused of lending some of them out to friends.