Los Angeles County supervisors Tuesday approved the donation of hundreds of surplus bulletproof vests, helmets, batons and other supplies to Mexican police agencies.
“This equipment will be used to outfit the poorly equipped Mexican agencies,” Sheriff Lee Baca said in a letter to the supervisors, referring to the drug wars plaguing the country. “Currently, many Mexican agencies lack the necessary safety equipment to fulfill their mission.”
Baca said the equipment has outlived its service life to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The county is able to donate supplies if the gift serves a public purpose, according to Baca’s letter. The public purpose in this case, Baca said, is to supply Mexican authorities who arrest criminals and seize drugs before they reach Los Angeles County.
The donations include more than 2,600 bulletproof vests, more than 300 helmets, more than 400 batons, more than 1,000 handcuff cases, and more than 1,000 pepper spray holders.
Last year, Baca asked supervisors to approve a similar donation to Mexican and Thai authorities.
— Rong-Gong Lin II
For complete coverage of the drug war in Mexico, visit The Times’ interactive Mexico Under Siege series.