ACLU Comment on Executive Order on Federal Equipment Acquisition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: 212-549-266, media@aclu.org

WASHINGTON – President Obama has signed an executive order today on the federal support for equipment acquisition by state, local, and tribal law enforcement. The executive order establishes a working group, co-chaired by the Secretary of Defense, Attorney General, and Secretary of Homeland Security, to provide recommendations to the President.

“While we understand that the White House takes seriously the problem of militarized policing, this executive order doesn’t even come close to going far enough,” said ACLU Washington Legislative Office Director Laura W. Murphy. “It’s the equivalent of putting a Band-Aid on a war wound. Police militarization terrifies people, harms communities, undermines public safety, and creates a combat zone environment, which is why the President should at the very least put a moratorium on the Defense Department’s 1033 program until adequate controls that protect public safety are put into place.”