![]() Protesters in Ferguson were confronted by police driving armoured personnel carriers and carrying assault weapons, who repeatedly used tear gas and rubber bullets against demonstrators. The heavy law enforcement response to mostly peaceful protests in the suburb of St Louis, Missouri, in the days and weeks after Brown’s death, prompted concern among both Republican and Democratic critics on Capitol Hill and led Obama to launch a review of federal programs that transfer military equipment to local police departments. Brown’s shooting has become a lightning rod for anger over discriminatory policing across the US. The heavy law enforcement response to mostly peaceful protests in the suburb of St Louis, Missouri, in the days and weeks after Brown’s death, prompted concern Photograph: Scott Olson/Getty Imagesįollowing a meeting with six cabinet members on Monday, Obama was scheduled to meet with young civil rights leaders, including some involved in protests in Ferguson, and law enforcement officials.Ī grand jury’s decision not to indict Wilson over the shooting prompted a night of intense rioting and looting in Ferguson last Monday and a ripple of solidarity protests across the country. “Recent events in Ferguson, Missouri and around the country have highlighted the importance of strong, collaborative relationships between local police and the communities they protect,” the White House said. The panel, led by Philadelphia police commissioner Charles Ramsey and former assistant attorney general Laurie Robinson, will report back within the next 90 days. The president is also creating a task force to advise the White House on additional ways in which public trust can be improved between law enforcement and minority communities. The White House, which was hosting a summit on Monday to discuss the aftermath of the Ferguson protests on Monday, did not back that call, but said “there are some benefits” to wider use of equipment that records interactions between police and members of the public. ![]() Obama is also separately calling for a $263m, three-year spending package to reform police departments across the country which, if approved by Congress, could lead to the purchase of an additional 50,000 lapel-mounted cameras to record police officers on the job.Ĭivil rights leaders and the family of Michael Brown, the 18-year-old who was shot dead in Ferguson by the white police officer Darren Wilson in August, are calling for legislation to make body-worn cameras mandatory for police. However, the White House said the programs would remain in place. Obama plans to issue an executive order before the end of February 2015, directing federal agencies to improve the way in which local law enforcement agencies procure, audit and manage a giant stockpile loaned and purchased from the Pentagon. ![]()
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