Obama orders review of transferring military gear to local police
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This issue as expected landed on president obama desk.
President Barack Obama has announced a review of federal programs that transfer surplus military equipment to state and local law enforcement agencies. The review will decide whether the programs are needed, if agencies are properly trained to work with the military grade equipment they receive, and whether the federal government is effectively keeping track of the equipment and their use.
The 9 August incident in which a Ferguson, Missouri police officer shot and killed an unarmed eighteen-year-old Michael Brown, followed by local police’s use of automatic rifles and armored military vehicles to control crowds, might have prompted the review. It is not the first time, however, that questions have been raised about the equipment transfer program.
According to HomeLand Security News Wire the program was created by Congress in 1990 to help cities fight the war on drugs. The Defense Logistics Agency took control of the program in 1997. As the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan winds down, transfers of military equipment to local sheriff and police departments have increased.
