Idaho GOP congressman Raul Labrador is teaming up with a Democratic lawmaker to move a bill designed to curb police militarization among state and local law enforcement agencies.
Georgia Rep. Hank Johnson and Labrador introduced the bill Tuesday. The legislation follows the shooting of a black teenager by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, that sparked a series of riots and increased criticism of police use of military equipment.
The proposed legislation would restrict the types of surplus military equipment that can be provided to local law enforcement agencies and prevent weapons such as grenade launchers and armored vehicles to be transferred.
The bill also ends the requirement that local police have to use military equipment within a year after receiving it.