The governors of Iowa and Nebraska announced last week that they would donate police protective equipment, including military-grade equipment such as helmets and vests, to Ukraine to help protect civilians against the Russian invasion.
Nebraska Gov. Pete Rickets said his state would send 550 pieces of protective equipment, while Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said his state’s public security department and 18 law enforcement agencies would provide 860 pieces of equipment to Ukraine.
The services are on a growing list of police departments – from California to Ohio to Vermont – donating non-lethal police equipment to help Ukrainian citizens, according to a CNN review of state-to-state efforts and interviews with some of them. involved.
None of the services contacted by CNN and the non-governmental procurement teams said they were collecting weapons or ammunition.
Many of the police forces involved in these efforts are collaborating with charities and former members of the US military. Some sources with direct knowledge of the various efforts – but those who are not involved – spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity due to concerns about possible legal issues that the initiative might raise.
It is unprecedented, experts say, for US law enforcement agencies to donate police protective equipment and military-grade equipment to a foreign country embroiled in an ongoing war. The effort also raises questions about the roles of police departments and whether, as domestic law enforcement agencies, they should send equipment to a foreign conflict outside their jurisdiction.
Because there is no central coordination group, there is no easy way to tell what is being shipped or whether it is subject to export regulations.
The Ukrainian-American Coordinating Council (UACC), a non-profit organization, is at the center of an effort to send controlled, military and police protective equipment to Ukraine, such as ballistic helmets, hard plates, soft shield inserts and vests. says the team.
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