LESO Program: Federal Equipment Transfer
What LESO is
The Law Enforcement Support Office (LESO) program, run through the Defense Logistics Agency, transfers excess federal property to qualifying law enforcement agencies. The exam tests eligibility, the application and accountability process, and restrictions on use.
Concepts to master
- Eligibility: the agency must be a qualifying law-enforcement organization and must have a designated point of contact and signed agreements.
- Application and screening: requests are reviewed against eligibility and program rules before property is released.
- Accountability: transferred property must be tracked, inventoried, and reported; items remain subject to audit and can be recalled or reclaimed.
- Use restrictions: property is for law-enforcement purposes and generally may not be sold, transferred, or diverted without authorization. Controlled items carry heightened requirements.
- Disposal and turn-in procedures when property is no longer needed.
Traps
- Treating transferred equipment as unrestricted agency property - it is not; conditions attach.
- Assuming any public agency qualifies; eligibility is specific to law-enforcement organizations.
- Forgetting inventory and reporting duties, which are the most commonly tested obligations.
Worked example
An agency receives equipment it no longer uses. The correct path is to follow the program's turn-in/disposal procedure and update its inventory records - not to sell or give the item away. Unauthorized diversion is a program violation and can jeopardize future participation.