Equipment donations proposed

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department wants to donate used equipment, including helmets, holsters, gun belts, bulletproof vests, batons and patrol cars, to Mexican and Thai law enforcement, a proposal that county supervisors have taken under consideration.

Such donations are allowed by law if county officials can show they are in the interest of local public safety.

On Tuesday, Supervisor Gloria Molina asked her colleagues to join her in directing Sheriff Lee Baca and William T Fujioka, the county’s chief executive, to determine how much surplus equipment was available to donate to Mexican police to help them fight their government’s war on drugs.

Molina did not say which Mexican law enforcement agency should get the equipment or how much should be donated, but she noted that the donation was in the interest of local public safety.

“The federal government has acknowledged as a nation, we jointly share in the responsibility for the growth in violent narcotic trade by creating a demand for illegal drugs,” she said. “Public safety is of paramount importance to Mexico and Los Angeles County.”

Supervisors will vote on Molina’s proposal next Tuesday.

The sheriff is in talks with Mexican law enforcement to donate 2,400 leather gun belts and bulletproof vests, plus some patrol cars, spokesman Steve Whitmore said. “Don’t forget Mexico is our closest neighbor, and they are facing some great challenges,” Whitmore said. “We’re not arming them -- we’re providing belts and vests.”

Whitmore said rampant corruption among many Mexican police forces made sending firearms or other weapons out of the question.

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molly.hennessy-fiske @latimes.com