Amid the rise in ambush attacks against officers, the White House plans to review a decision made last year to halt the distribution of military surplus gear to law enforcement agencies across the county.
The 2015 ban prohibits departments from receiving vital equipment including riot gear and armored vehicles, according to Reuters.
The ban came after public outcry over police Ferguson, Missouri and other cities using equipment obtained through the program during protests.
Both Jim Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police, and Bill Johnson, executive director of the National Association of Police Organizations, told the news outlet that President Barack Obama has agreed to review the list of banned items. White House chief legal counsel Neil Eggleston is expected to review the ban
A White House official said the administration regularly reviews what military equipment can be transferred to law enforcement and that it wants to ensure that departments get "the tools that they need to protect themselves and their communities while at the same time providing the level of accountability that should go along with the provision of federal equipment."
Pasco and Johnson were among the leaders of eight police organizations that met with Obama and Vice President Joe Biden at the White House on July 11 just three days after a gunman targeted and killed five police officers in Dallas.
Since that time, more officers have come under attack and on July 17, three officers were killed in Baton Rouge.
During the meeting, law enforcement leaders urged Obama to reinstate military equipment such as helmets, grenade launchers and tracked armored vehicles to boost the safety of officers and their ability to respond to violent riots as well as terrorist attacks.
"The White House thought this kind of gear was intimidating to people, but they didn't know the purpose it serves," Pasco told Reuters.
