Small Town Cops Pile Up On Useless Military Gear: Small police departments across America are using a little-known Pentagon program to amass battlefield-grade arsenals. Which means billions of dollars' worth of U.S. military gear are in the hands of small-town cops who neither need the equipment nor are properly trained to use it, critics charge. At best, it's a waste of resources (since the milgear still has to be maintained). At worst, it could cost lives.