President Obama on Monday said police departments needed to do more to build trust in their communities, as a task force he appointed in the wake of the shooting of Missouri teenager Michael Brown recommended increased civilian oversight of officers and more body cameras for cops.
“The moment is now for us to make these changes,” Obama said from the White House during a meeting with his Task Force on 21st Century Policing. “We have a great opportunity coming out of some great conflict and tragedy to really transform how we think about community law enforcement relations so that everybody feels safer and our law enforcement officers feel — rather than being embattled — feel fully supported. We need to seize that opportunity.”
The White House has faced pressure to outline reforms for law enforcement departments after protests following the police killings of Brown in Ferguson and Eric Garner in New York City.
The proposals released Monday have essentially been debated for months. The White House says it has tasked the Justice Department with determining how to fund many of the recommendations, such as through the use of grants.
“The importance of making sure that there’s a sense of accountability when in fact law enforcement is involved in a deadly shooting is something that I think communities across the board are going to be considering,” Obama said.
The task force’s report highlighted that police officers employing body cameras are less likely to use deadly force. However, it noted that concerns about such technology persist.
And the report is not expected to build momentum for a legislative push for more body cameras on police officers. The president has asked lawmakers for $75 million to purchase 50,000 body cameras for police officers nationwide.
“While standards should be created for development and research of technology at the national level, implementation of developed technologies should remain a local decision to address the needs and resources of the community,” the report said.
“While technology is crucial to law enforcement, it is never a panacea,” the task force added. “Its acquisition and use can have unintended consequences for both the organization and the community it serves, which may limit its potential. Thus, agencies need clearly defined policies related to implementation of technology, and must pay close attention to community concerns about its use.”
