MULE
(ST. LOUIS, AP) — Two Missouri lawmakers are introducing legislation to reform federal programs providing military equipment to police, addressing concerns raised by those who believe that police overreached during protests in Ferguson by using armored vehicles and high-caliber weapons in a military-style response.
Sen. Claire McCaskill on Thursday introduced the Protecting Communities and Police Act. U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay of St. Louis plans to introduce a companion bill in the House next week. Both are Democrats.
McCaskill says the goal is to protect both police and the communities they serve by revising federal programs that send equipment and funding to police.
Clay says the bill addresses what he calls “excessive militarization of local police,” something that he says he witnessed during protests in Ferguson that followed the shooting death of Michael Brown.
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