Los Angeles County supervisors Tuesday approved the donation of hundreds of surplus bulletproof vests, helmets, batons and other supplies to Mexican police agencies.
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<\/br>\u201cThis equipment will be used to outfit the poorly equipped Mexican agencies,\u201d Sheriff Lee Baca said in a letter to the supervisors, referring to the drug wars plaguing the country. \u201cCurrently, many Mexican agencies lack the necessary safety equipment to fulfill their mission.\u201d
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Baca said the equipment has outlived its service life to the Los Angeles County Sheriff\u2019s Department. <\/p>\n
The county is able to donate supplies if the gift serves a public purpose, according to Baca\u2019s letter<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Last year, Baca asked supervisors to approve a similar donation to Mexican and Thai authorities.<\/a> <\/p>\n — Rong-Gong Lin II<\/p>\n