http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/242346-obama-limiting-military-hardware-to-police-departmentsThe White House on Monday announced new limits on federal programs that supply local police with military-style equipment. After four months of study, a Cabinet working group tasked by President Obama to reform the initiatives unveiled eight categories of military supplies local law enforcement will be banned from acquiring from federal agencies or with federal funds. The list includes grenade launchers, tracked armored vehicles, armed aircraft, bayonets, and guns and ammunition of .50 caliber or higher. There is a “substantial risk of misusing or overusing these items,” which “could significantly undermine community trust,” the group’s report reads.
Other federally supplied equipment, such as wheeled armored vehicles, drones, helicopters, firearms and riot gear, will come with new strings attached for local police to ensure officers are trained in their use and in “community policing, constitutional policing and community input.” Police must provide a “clear and persuasive explanation” for the need of the equipment and get approval from their local government. The steps are part of the White House’s effort to reestablish trust between law enforcement and their communities in response to a string of police-related deaths of black men in Baltimore, Ferguson, Mo. and North Charleston, S.C., among other cities. The issue of police militarization entered the national spotlight last summer as officers and demonstrators angered by the death of Michael Brown, 18, violently clashed in the streets of Ferguson. The public was shocked by images of heavily armed police in military armored vehicles who were sent to quell the protests. A bipartisan group of lawmakers and civil-rights groups pushed to end initiatives, such as the Pentagon’s 1033 program, that allow surplus military equipment to be transferred to local police.
