Obama's Policing Task Force Calls for Independent Investigations of Officer-Involved Shootings

A task force appointed by President Obama recommended Monday that all officer-involved shootings be investigated by independent investigators and that agencies seek greater diversity and better training of police forces to de-escalate confrontations with minorities.

Created largely in response to the shooting death of a black teen by a police officer last summer in Ferguson, Missouri, the task force issued a 120-page report that calls for civilian oversight boards of police departments, customized to meet community needs.

The report also calls for a “de-coupling” of immigration enforcement actions from local police duties, a perennial point of contention with federal agencies, the Washington Times  reports.

The report also suggests that local agencies adopt more of a community policing approach and minimize the use of military equipment at protests, Time  reports.

Many of the federal task force’s recommendations align with similar calls made by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which released a report on community-police relations in January. Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson of Gary, Ind., says that the report rightfully acknowledges that the federal government’s role in improving police-community relations is limited.