Government operations and workforce

Executive Order 13688: Federal Support for Local Law Enforcement Equipment Acquisition

President: Barack Obama

Created an interagency process and conditions for federal provision of controlled equipment to state local and tribal law enforcement.

Status: Revoked — by EO 13809.

Is Executive Order 13688 still in effect? No. EO 13809 revoked it.

What does Executive Order 13688 do?

EO 13688 followed concern about militarized police responses. It created a working group to identify prohibited and controlled equipment, require training and policies, and improve oversight of federal grants and transfers. EO 13809 revoked it in August 2017. EO 14074 established a separate successor approach in 2022, but EO 14148 revoked that later order in January 2025; neither action revived EO 13688.

Administration position: The order regulated federal support and conditions; it did not itself confiscate all equipment already held by police or directly control every locally funded purchase.
SignedJanuary 16, 2015
Programs coveredFederal grants purchases and transfers
RevokedAugust 28, 2017 by EO 13809

Before and after

Before the order

Federal equipment programs used differing lists, safeguards and reporting practices.

After the order

A government-wide prohibited and controlled-equipment framework operated until its 2017 revocation.

Who had to do what

Agency / officeActionTiming / position
Interagency working groupDevelop equipment lists and recommendationsEnded
Federal agenciesApply training certification and oversight conditionsEnded under this order
Law-enforcement agenciesMeet federal program requirementsGoverned by current program rules

What happened next

EO 13688 created the working group.

EO 13809 revoked EO 13688.

EO 14148 revoked the separate successor EO 14074.