Barry to order more training, oversight for military gear to cops

[Sdiver]

Funny how he didn't say anything about the police's over-reach during the Boston Marathon bomber search.

But Ferguson .....

President Barack Obama is expected to sign an executive order to encourage more oversight of federal programs that dole out military gear to local police departments, senior administration officials said Monday.

The executive order will direct agencies that distribute military-style equipment to local police to require training for cops that receive the gear. The president will also require officials to create a central database to track the supplies, as a significant number of weapons and vehicles previously allocated have gone missing.

Obama ordered a review of Pentagon, Justice Department and Homeland Security programs that arm local police after a military-style response to protests in Ferguson, Missouri sparked outrage in August.

Local officers showed up to control protests sparked by the fatal police shooting of unarmed teen Michael Brown in armored tank-like vehicles, wearing military-style riot gear, and holding assault weapons. Police were also photographed aiming the weapons at protesters, in contravention of military procedure, sparking criticism that they had not been adequately trained. Police said they needed the gear to protect themselves.

“There is a big difference between our military and our local law enforcement, and we don't want those lines blurred,” Obama said at the time.

But it's unclear if the president's actions will have any effect on the amount of military-style gear the federal government doles out to local cops.

On a call with reporters, administration officials would not say whether the president supports or opposes bipartisan efforts in Congress to ban local police departments from receiving recycled armored vehicles from the war in Afghanistan and certain kinds of assault rifles.

The president’s planned executive action also does not appear to immediately affect the 460,000 weapons and other controlled pieces of military equipment that have already been doled out from the Pentagon to local law enforcement agencies, including more than 5,000 Humvees and 92,000 guns.

Obama does plan to dole out one new piece of equipment to police departments that will likely please civil liberterians: The White House will allocate $75 million dollars over three years to provide police departments with up to 50,000 body-worn cameras for their officers.

Civil rights advocates have long pushed for all police officers to wear the cameras, to prevent against excessive use of force against civilians. Brown's parents announced a campaign to equip officers with cameras.

http://news.yahoo.com/president-obam...180232655.html

[NurseTim]

Will the training include shooting suspects in the legs as Dr. Carson advocates?

[Mustang Man]

“There is a big difference between our military and our local law enforcement, and we don't want those lines blurred,” Obama said at the time.

But it's unclear if the president's actions will have any effect on the amount of military-style gear the federal government doles out to local cops.

Yeah ok, at the rate this is all going local law enforcement departments will probably have more fire power and equipment than some NG units.