President Obama has created a new federal working group to recommend tighter standards on providing military-style equipment to local police departments, the New York Times reports. The order was part of Obama's response to racial unrest in Ferguson, Mo., after the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager by a white police officer, and the militarized posture police used in the days afterward to confront riots and protests over the killing.
Obama said the group would be jointly led by the secretary of defense, the attorney general and the secretary of homeland security. It was ordered to ensure that law enforcement agencies that acquire the equipment — including firearms and tactical vehicles — are properly trained to use it, and that they comply with civil rights requirements.