Washington (CNN) The Department of Justice is launching a $20 million pilot program funding body cameras for police officers in the wake of renewed protests over police treatment of minorities.

It's a rare concrete step towards criminal justice reform from the administration, and it comes as Americans are taking to the streets to speak out against yet another case in which an African American man died in police custody under controversial circumstances.

The program would award $20 million in as many 50 grants for police departments to buy the cameras and train officers on their use, with about a third of the funds going to small law enforcement agencies. Officials have also allocated $1 million for the Bureau of Justice Statistics to develop a program to study the impact of the cameras.

Critics say President Barack Obama hasn't taken enough action to respond to issues with law enforcement.

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