PRESIDENT OBAMA seeks $75m for police body cameras

Spurred by the Ferguson, Missouri shooting,
President Barack Obama is calling for $75m in federal
spending to get 50,000 more police to wear body cameras
that record their interactions with civilians.
However, Obama is not seeking to pull back federal
programs that provide military-style equipment to local
law enforcement.
The president was making the announcements on Monday
from the White House during a series of meetings with his
Cabinet, civil rights leaders, law enforcement officials and
others.
At least for now, Obama is staying away from Ferguson
in the wake of a racially charged uproar over a grand
jury’s decision last week not to charge the police offer who
fatally shot unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown.
Obama is proposing a three-year $263m spending package
to increase use of body-worn cameras, expand training for
law enforcement and add more resources for police
department reform.
The White House has said the cameras could help bridge
deep mistrust between law enforcement and the public.
Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett, reporting from
Washington DC, said that it offers an opportunity for
similar disputes with the police to be recorded.
“This would eliminate situations not just in Ferguson but
around the United States,” she said.