President Barack Obama announced a ban Monday on the federal government providing some military-style equipment to local police agencies. The New York Times reports the ban will apply to “tracked armored vehicles, the highest-caliber firearms and ammunition and camouflage uniforms.” The announcement coincides with Monday’s release of the final report from the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. Among the dozens of recommendations, the task force says police departments should adopt a “guardian” rather than “warrior mind-set.” The president created the group after the unrest in Ferguson.
The president’s decision on limiting local government access to certain military-style equipment follows a review of federal programs that help state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies get military equipment. “On the basis of that review, the working group developed a series of concrete steps to enhance accountability, increase transparency, and better serve the needs of law enforcement and local communities,” the White House said in a statement.
Reached at a family event, Ferguson Commission cochair and member of the 21st Century Policing task force Brittany Packnett said, "I think it’s a bold step by the president and I’m very glad to see that he’s been responsive to the voices of the community.
"You know, it’s one thing to say that the First Amendment and freedom of speech is available to everyone, but it’s another thing to enforce it and so to ensure that we don’t see continued tactics like we saw in Ferguson, with the extreme over use of military weapons against peaceful citizens doesn’t happen - it is something that we need to do moving forward to ensure the voice of all citizens.”
She said the ban on the use of military weapons would be “in residential areas and in times of peaceful demonstrations by American citizens.”
The president’s announcement is set to come during a visit to Camden County, N.J. There he’ll visit the Real-Time Tactical Operational Intelligence Center at the Camden County, N.J., Police Department Headquarters, according to a statement from the White House.
The city of Camden, grappling with poverty and crime, gave up its own police department and is served by Camden County. The county’s police program emphasizes strong community ties and is seen by some in law enforcement as a national model for community policing.
Sen. Claire McCaskill’s office issued a statement this morning shortly after the White House released its report: “The White House working group recognized what we did -- that this federal equipment and funding save lives, but that these programs are in need of reform. This is another step in the direction of needed change to better protect both police officers and the communities those officers serve.”
During the unrest in Ferguson, Reps. Lacy Clay, D-University City and Emmanuel Cleaver, D-Kansas City, met with then Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to urge an end to the Pentagon’s so-called 1033 program where state and local police agencies can obtain surplus military equipment. At the time, Pentagon spokesman Adm. John Kirby said, that most of the equipment provided to local agencies included office equipment and furniture.
Clay and Cleaver both praised today's decision. In a statement from his office Clay said he witnessed first-hand high powered sniper rifles with night scopes being pointed at his constituents "who were peacefully exercising their constitutional right," Clay continued. "That kind of police militarization is harmful and it deepens the already wide gulf of mistrust that exists between communities of color and some local law enforcement agencies."
Cleaver said, police officers and law enforcement deserve respect and the best tools and training available to protect communities. "That doesn't mean Main Street should be filled with tear gas, sound cannons, MRAPs, or other weapons of war."
Images of police in combat gear atop military-grade vehicles during the protests in Ferguson shined a spotlight on the federal programs that provide both military equipment and funding for such equipment. Those images also prompted Congress to consider whether such equipment is appropriate for local law enforcement agencies. McCaskill at the time questioned representatives from the Justice Department and the Department of Defense. Nearly all of the witnesses said the federal government could do a better job overseeing what equipment goes to which departments and whether those departments could justify their requests.
All three lawmakers, McCaskill, Clay and Cleaver are backing various bills aimed at addressing problems brought to light in Ferguson. McCaskill and Clay call for greater training and oversight in the use of such equipment.
McCaskill’s bill, S 1245 “Protecting Communities And Police Act” includes provisions to:
- Encourage regionalization and equipment sharing
- Require law enforcement agencies receiving federal funding or equipment to follow General Policing Standards – including such things as community policing, constitutional policing and community input
- Require reports following “Significant Incidents” involving federal equipment
- Have departments justify the need for such equipment
Cleaver would limit how much revenue communities could derive from issuing citations for traffic stops and other offenses.
New tools for law enforcement
In addition to talking about task force recommendations, the president is set to highlight “new tools all cities can utilize to build and maintain” trust between law enforcement and their communities, according to the White House.
The report provides a blueprint for communities to use in developing policing strategies that work best in building trust between police and citizens in their communities. The White House is also pushing departments to improve use of data and technology in “ways that build community trust and reduce unnecessary uses of force.”
Earlier this month, the Department of Justice announced pilot grant program to help agencies develop and implement programs for officers to wear body cameras. The department is expected to release today a “clearinghouse of resources” designed to help in that effort. It will also begin taking applications for grants designed to help spur community policing practices with a focus on hiring, training and technical assistance.
Over the next several weeks, the statement says members of the Cabinet will visit communities across the U.S. to highlight several initiatives where communities and the federal government are working to improve the “quality of life” on issues from “health care to education to transparency in policing.”
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro is scheduled to visit the St. Louis area as part of the Administration’s outreach.
