Truthiness

From yesterday’s Senate hearing on the militarization of police. Catch this little exchange:

Figures released Tuesday by Congress showed that some police departments with fewer than 10 full-time officers had received large mine-resistant trucks designed to withstand roadside bombs in Iraq. Many police departments received enough automatic rifles, such as M-16s, to give several to each officer.

“Bayonets are available under the program,” said Alan F. Estevez, the principle Defense Department undersecretary for acquisition. “I can’t answer what a local police force would need a bayonet for.”

“I can give you the answer,” replied Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky. “None.”

Police chiefs know changes will be made to the federal programs, whether from Congress or the administration, according to Jim Bueermann, the president of the Police Foundation, a research group in Washington, who testified Tuesday. He recommended that, before receiving equipment, police departments be required to prove that they informed the public, trained their officers and set policies for using the gear.

Mr. Kamoie, from Homeland Security, noted that his agency’s grants do not pay for weapons. He said infrared, helicopter-mounted surveillance gear purchased with federal grants, was instrumental in locating Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, a suspect in the Boston bombing.

Mr. Coburn corrected him. Mr. Tsarnaev was discovered not by police but by a Watertown, Mass., resident named Dave Henneberry who — once police allowed people to leave their homes — walked outside and noticed a pool of blood in his boat parked in his back yard. Mr. Coburn presented an article from The Boston Globe recounting the events.

Mr. Kamoie seemed surprised. He said his colleagues had credited the helicopter camera. “I look forward to reading that article,” he said.