Some police forces are becoming so militarized - they assault suburban homes like they were fortified terrorist bases. Soon they’ll be tossing flash-bangs in the windows before they charge in.
My question is if they’re going to act like this, at what point do they become a true military force and fall under posse comitatus restrictions?
Posse Comitatus went bye-bye last year when Bush signed a budget bill with a “small” rider that repealed it.
The problem is, some of them are. Others are fortified drug storage and distribution facilities manned by really bad guys with big guns. Others are mistakes like this one.
So it's easy to criticize--I've done my share of criticizing ATF. But how do you avoid this? Do you send officers into unknown situations without scary looking flak jackets and helmets? Do you give bad guys 30 seconds warning to pick up their guns? Do you politely request permission to enter?
The problem is the ongoing decline and fall of Western Civilization. My brother in law is a cop. In today's world, every encounter with a citizen is scary. It's hard to stay alive and not be uber-cautious because the country is full of psychopaths with RPG's. If you're a cop, you err on the side of overwhelming force and pray you don't make mistakes.
When their paycheck comes from the Feds.
“My question is if they’re going to act like this, at what point do they become a true military force and fall under posse comitatus restrictions?”
Now THAT’S an interesting question.
They've been known to that. Although that tends to be an FBI HRT tactic. The "flash-bangs" often "inadvertently" start fires, which then burn the place to the ground.
BATF agents, and later the FBI, did just that at Waco. The BATFE agents did it as part of their initial "warrant service" at Waco.