Associated Press

Associated Press

CAMDEN, N.J.

President Barack Obama ended long-running federal transfers of some combat-style gear to local law enforcement Monday in an attempt to ease tensions between police and minority communities, saying equipment made for the battlefield should not be a tool of American criminal justice.

Grenade launchers, bayonets, tracked armored vehicles, weaponized aircraft and vehicles, firearms and ammunition of .50-caliber or higher no longer will be provided to state and local police agencies by the federal government under Obama’s order.

“We’ve seen how militarized gear can sometimes give people a feeling like there’s an occupying force, as opposed to a force that’s part of the community that’s protecting them and serving them,” Obama said, nine months after an outcry over the use of riot gear and armored vehicles by police confronting protesters in Ferguson, Mo.

“It can alienate and intimidate local residents and send the wrong message,” he said.

Obama made his announcement in Camden, N.J., where he praised efforts by the police department to improve their relationship with a poor community struggling with violence.

Also Monday, Twitter has a new @POTUS account.

For years, White House officials have used Twitter to communicate White House policy and occasional personal observations.

Obama himself pretty much stayed out of the social media fray. No longer.

With a frugal 92-character message — 48 short of maximum permitted — Obama on Monday declared: “Hello, Twitter! It’s Barack. Really! Six years in, they’re finally giving me my own account.”

The account name — @POTUS — stands for the common acronym used for President of the United States.