Regarding “Obama orders review of how military gives away surplus” (Aug. 23):

Politics aside, anything that will keep law enforcement officer deaths down is a good thing, Unfortunately, we have lost 68 officers in the line of duty this year to date, and we have also lost 43 military service members in the same time frame.

Officers and service members deserve every piece of equipment available in the United States to keep them safe. When I served in the Marines, we had a ’70s-era flak jacket and a Kevlar helmet.

Technology advances, and those advancements save lives of soldiers and officers. Both are in the line of fire. Whether it is a bulletproof vest or an armored personnel carrier bringing officers to a dangerous scene that a normal person would run away from, they are developed to save lives.

There are roughly 800,000 police officers in the United States. They deserve to come home alive to their families and should have every piece of gear that will allow that to happen. If any piece of equipment can help save lives, then it should be provided, regardless of how politically incorrect it looks.

There are plenty of openings in law enforcement and the armed forces for the policymakers to join. Then let’s see what decision they make regarding coming home from a day’s tour of duty, and what piece of gear they now think looks too menacing or bad for the camera.

Nathan Gould

Bath