President Obama(Photo: Jacquelyn Martin, AP)
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.
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 decision triggered protests and demonstrations in Ferguson and throughout the country.
"As the nation has observed, trust between law enforcement agencies and the people they protect and serve is essential to the stability of our communities, the integrity of our criminal justice system, and the safe and effective delivery of policing services," said a White House statement on a report that Obama ordered in August.
The administration also proposed a three-year, $263 million in new federal assistance 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 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.
The task force will be chaired by Charles H. Ramsey, the police commissioner of Philadelphia; and Laurie Robinson, professor at George Mason University and former assistant attorney general for the Office of Justice Programs.
The report on police equipment said that, between fiscal years 2009 and 2014, the federal government provided nearly $18 billion to local law enforcement agencies through programs administered by five departments: Justice, Defense, Homeland Security, Treasury, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Most of the equipment is "fairly routine," the report said — "office furniture, computers and other technological equipment, personal protective equipment and basic firearms." But a small percentage does cover "military equipment, including high powered weapons and tactical vehicles."
The report called for a government-wide, consistent list of controlled military property allowed for acquisition by law enforcement agencies. It also said that local agencies be required to make specific requests for equipment.
An administration statement said that it wants to "harmonize federal programs so that they have consistent and transparent policies," including a database to track purchases and acquisitions.
The Fraternal Order of Police, the nation's largest police union, has waged an intense lobbying campaign to keep the surplus equipment flowing.
"The armored vehicles and personnel carriers are not designed to hurt anybody,'' said Jim Pasco, the FOP's executive director. "They are designed to protect people. And while they may not look good to everybody, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, especially those people who are going into a riot situation and need the protection.''
Pasco said the armored equipment represents a fraction of the actual equipment provided to law enforcement. "Those vehicles, including MRAPs (the oversized, mine resistant vehicles) are used to transport people into dangerous areas. They are used as shields. They do have utility.''
In a series of meetings on Ferguson, Obama starts by talking with Cabinet members from departments that work with law enforcement, and would be affected by the new spending rules.
Afterward, Obama sits down with local and national civil rights leaders for a discussion that includes what the White House calls "mistrust between law enforcement and communities of color."
Later in the day, Obama meets with various elected officials, members of law enforcement, and community and faith leaders to "discuss how communities and law enforcement can work together to build trust to strengthen neighborhoods across the country," says the White House schedule.
The three-year, $263 million assistance package proposed by the Obama administration includes expanded training for law enforcement agencies, and Justice Department assistance for community policing.
Contributing: Kevin Johnson
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