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Obama bans some military-style equipment provided to police

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama said he’s banning the government from providing some military-style equipment to local police departments and putting stricter controls on other weapons and gear distributed to law enforcement, in a surprise announcement nine months after officers in riot gear dispelled racially charged protests.

President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference after meeting with Gulf Cooperation Council leaders and delegations at Camp David in Maryland, on May 14, 2015. Photo: AP

President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference after meeting with Gulf Cooperation Council leaders and delegations at Camp David in Maryland, on May 14, 2015. Photo: AP

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WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama said he’s banning the government from providing some military-style equipment to local police departments and putting stricter controls on other weapons and gear distributed to law enforcement, in a surprise announcement nine months after officers in riot gear dispelled racially charged protests.

The announcement comes after the White House suggested last year that Mr Obama would maintain programs that provide the type of military-style equipment used to respond to demonstrators last summer in Ferguson, Missouri, because of their broader contribution to public safety. But an inter-agency group found “substantial risk of misusing or overusing” items like tracked armoured vehicles, high-powered firearms and camouflage, which could undermine trust in police.

With scrutiny on US police only increasing in the ensuing months after a series of highly publicised deaths of black suspects nationwide, Mr Obama also is unveiling the final report of a task force he created to help build confidence between police and minority communities in particular. The announcements come as Mr Obama is visiting Camden, New Jersey, one of the country's most violent and poorest cities.

In previewing the president's trip, the White House said that effective immediately, the federal government will no longer fund or provide armoured vehicles that run on a tracked system instead of wheels, weaponized aircraft or vehicles, firearms or ammunition of .50-calibre or higher, grenade launchers, bayonets or camouflage uniforms. The federal government is also exploring ways to recall prohibited equipment already distributed.

In addition, a longer list of equipment the federal government provides will come under tighter control. Starting in October, police will have to get approval from their city council, mayor or some other local governing body to obtain it, provide a persuasive explanation of why it is needed and have more training and data collection on the use of the equipment.

The issue of police militarisation rose to prominence last year after a white police officer in Ferguson fatally shot unarmed black 18-year-old Michael Brown, sparking protests. Critics questioned why police in full body armour with armoured trucks responded to dispel demonstrators, and Mr Obama seemed to sympathise when ordering a review of the programs that provide the equipment. “There is a big difference between our military and our local law enforcement and we don't want those lines blurred,” Mr Obama last in August. AP

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