The White House has announced this afternoon that President Obama will sign an executive order pledging $263 million to go toward additional police training and body cameras, reports The Huffington Post.
The three-year intiative will allocate $75 million toward the purchase of approximately 50,000 body cameras for police officers across the country, a cause about which slain teen Michael Brown’s parents are passionate. However, those cameras will equip only a small portion of the nation’s 750,000 officers, according to The Verge.
Another portion of the $263 million will go toward law enforcement training programs, ensuring that the police departments that receive military-grade weapons have received the proper instructions.
The remainder of the money will go toward police outreach programs that will help foster positive relationships between police officers and the public.
The program development will be head by Task Force on 21st Century Policing, an activist group consisting of community leaders appointed by President Obama. In the next three months, the team will propose solutions on “how to promote effective crime reduction while building public trust.”
The executive order announcement came Monday afternoon, shortly after President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden gathered to meet with Ferguson community and civil leaders, activists, and elected officials.