Obama Administration to Limit Local Police Access to Military Equipment

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The announcement comes in response to media reports and widespread popular opinion suggesting that police use of military equipment during recent mass demonstrations across the United States, in particular during rallies following a recent string of killings of unarmed men by police, are inciting neighborhood violence, rather than quelling it.

The report titled "The President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing," contains key recommendations designed to build trust between United States citizens and those protecting them, suggesting that military-style equipment is not appropriate and will no longer be available to police forces.

The president's task force is a working group instructed by Barack Obama to ensure that law enforcement agencies "adopt organizational and operational practices and standards that prevent the misuse or abuse of controlled equipment and ensuring compliance with civil rights requirements resulting from receipt of federal financial assistance."

"Law enforcement agencies should have clear and comprehensive policies on the use of force (including training on the importance of de-escalation), mass demonstrations (including the appropriate use of equipment, particularly rifles and armored personnel carriers)."

The issue of military equipment being used by the police came into the spotlight after images and video posted online showed police officers dressed in full combat gear, riding in armored vehicles and brandishing high-powered assault rifles during the protests in Ferguson over the killing of unarmed 18-year-old African-American Michael Brown by a white police officer in Ferguson in 2014. A grand jury chose not to prosecute the officer for the death, further inciting widespread national demonstrations.

Military-style equipment used by neighborhood police has caused wide public discontent and renewed scrutiny of a federal grant program created after the 9/11 tragedy allowing military hardware to be acquired by local law enforcement agencies.