President Obama bans some military-style equipment provided to police
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is banning the federal
government from providing some military-style equipment to local police.
The announcement is a surprise coming nine months after
police in full body armor with armored trucks dispelled last summer’s racially
charged protests in Ferguson, Missouri. The White House suggested last year
that Obama would maintain programs that provide the equipment because of their
broader contribution to public safety.
But an interagency group found “substantial risk of misusing
or overusing” items like tracked armored vehicles, high-powered firearms and
camouflage. The task force also created new controls for a longer list of
weapons and gear the federal government provides to police.
The announcements come as Obama is visiting Camden, New
Jersey, one of the country’s most violent and poorest cities.
