In recent years, images have proliferated in the media of American law enforcement intervening in protests – donning helmets, toting assault rifles, and marching alongside armored vehicles. While many Americans have been shocked by such displays, the militarization of police departments across the country is nothing new.

In the 1990s, an era of high crime marked by an escalation of the war on drugs in cities across the country, Congress authorized the National Defense Authorization Act, also known as the 1033 Program. Under the NDAA, state and local law enforcement agencies could procure excess military weapons and equipment from the Department of Defense.

Since the program’s inception, the DOD has transferred $7.6 billion in military equipment to law enforcement agencies across the country. And while law enforcement agencies do not pay for this equipment, they are responsible for costs related to shipping, maintenance, and storage. In recent years, every state except Hawaii has used the program to acquire excess military weapons and equipment.

According to data from the Defense Logistics Agency, 201 law enforcement agencies in Georgia acquired surplus military equipment between 2010 and the first quarter of 2023. To better reflect increasing militarization of American law enforcement, items determined by the DOD to present a “low risk” when released from federal control were not included in our analysis. Such items include tents, forklifts, firearm slings, picnic tables, and boots.

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The combined value of this equipment, as measured by the original price paid by the military, totals $61,462,743 – the seventh most among the 49 participating states. The Warner Robins Police Department received 5.2% of this equipment, as measured by its monetary value, the most of any law enforcement agency in the state.

Rank	State	Total value of military equipment acquired from 2010-2023 Q1 ($)	Law enforcement agencies receiving military equipment
1	Texas	129,382,429	324
2	California	109,660,198	154
3	Tennessee	107,079,868	197
4	Florida	74,563,019	137
5	South Carolina	74,094,837	135
6	Alabama	70,698,539	177
7	Georgia	61,462,743	201
8	Arizona	56,326,770	75
9	Ohio	56,316,007	233
10	Minnesota	54,888,651	111
11	Michigan	49,981,067	201
12	New Jersey	45,460,066	184
13	North Carolina	45,455,133	111
14	Wisconsin	41,176,131	106
15	Illinois	40,028,909	235
16	New York	38,730,990	110
17	Washington	37,195,384	86
18	Indiana	35,940,902	141
19	Missouri	34,513,792	173
20	Kentucky	32,495,911	140
21	Arkansas	30,891,646	95
22	Colorado	28,770,882	103
23	Oklahoma	28,268,275	120
24	Louisiana	24,538,565	51
25	Virginia	23,784,984	84
26	Pennsylvania	21,863,862	98
27	Oregon	19,839,449	32
28	Nevada	19,582,376	19
29	Mississippi	17,536,439	44
30	New Mexico	17,076,269	38
31	West Virginia	15,865,145	34
32	North Dakota	15,580,697	54
33	Connecticut	14,845,957	49
34	Utah	13,604,166	36
35	Iowa	12,859,833	53
36	Idaho	11,265,320	46
37	Nebraska	9,472,021	23
38	Maine	7,804,422	45
39	Massachusetts	7,482,579	53
40	South Dakota	7,398,598	37
41	Maryland	5,797,499	45
42	Montana	4,836,091	22
43	Kansas	4,781,247	48
44	Wyoming	4,006,141	15
45	New Hampshire	3,645,828	27
46	Alaska	1,705,594	3
47	Rhode Island	1,586,284	13
48	Delaware	991,597	11
49	Vermont	372,661	6