Obama Team Calls for New Rules on Police Equipment
As part of a response to the police shooting in Ferguson, Mo., the Obama administration called for new rules Monday on federal money that local law enforcement agencies use to buy equipment, including military items.
As part of a response to the police shooting in Ferguson, Mo., the Obama administration called for new rules Monday on federal money that local law enforcement agencies use to buy equipment, including military items, reports USA Today.
A new report did not explicitly call for a ban on the use of military equipment by police, but did recommend that equipment financed by federal money have "a legitimate civilian law enforcement purpose."
The administration released the report as Obama prepared to meet with Cabinet members, civil rights leaders, and local law enforcement officials about Ferguson, a week after a grand jury declined to indict a white police officer in the shooting death of an 18-year-old black man, Michael Brown.
The administration also proposed a three-year, $263 million federal assistance package to local law enforcement, including a plan for 50,000 new body cameras to be worn by officers. Brown's parents have campaigned for more use of body cameras by officers. The package includes expanded training for law enforcement agencies, and Justice Department assistance for community policing.
The Obama administration further announced the creation of a new "Task Force on 21st Century Policing," with goals that include new ways "to promote effective crime reduction while building public trust," the White House said.
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