In the weeks following the initial shooting of Michael Brown, many within the international community called into question the amount of militarization that has occurred amongst many police forces across the country, as became evident as the Ferguson Police Department infamously met protesters with armored tanks, tear gas and assault weapons.
Now President Obama is expected to sign an executive order which will require all agencies receiving military-style equipment be trained on how to properly use the gear. To date, more than 460,000 weapons have already been distributed to local law enforcement agencies throughout the country.
Also included in that order is the implementation of body cameras, as the White House has pledged an additional $75 million in federal funds to equip over 50, 000 officers with body cameras; an issue that the parents of Brown have been fighting for since his death in early August.
According to Obama, “There is a big difference between our military and our local law enforcement and we don’t want those lines blurred.”