The “militarization” of police was not only inevitable, but necessary

Hot Air ^ | August 16, 2014 | Jazz Shaw

[PapaBear3625]

The rioting, looting, and arson seems to be coming from people who are not gainfully employed.

In the pre-"Welfare State" days, such people were not numerous enough, nor sufficiently concentrated in a small area, to achieve "critical mass". They knew that bad behavior risked censure from the armed middle-class residents who would not like to see their businesses go up in flames.

We need to eliminate the Welfare State. More cops, and more weapons in cop hands will not fix it.

[C. Edmund Wright]

yes, with 169 and 170, your basis was the absolute idea that if we fear martial law, then full fledged martial law must be going on somewhere….or if we are disturbed by the militarization of cops, then we must be against all sniper units.

Both are absurd. NO ONE ….zip zero nada…..said that.

[Alberta's Child]

I agree with that part of your post. My point is that history will show that there's really no big difference between "local law enforcement" and "the military" when it comes to trampling on the rights of the citizenry.

In fact, one of the defining characteristics of most other countries -- including modern European nations and Third World dumps -- is that the police and the military are pretty much the same.

[fwdude]

You are mistaken. Some posters - not many, but a few - most certainly ARE saying that.

[C. Edmund Wright]

well then they are wrong in the absolute too…….I think this has gone way too far - and it’s done so while we see cop shops more interested in their unions and their pensions than the citizens…..and we see more paramilitary gov agencies too. Way way too far. There is no longer the attitude to protect and serve, and cops are often on the wrong side of law and order these days.

Scary.

But I have never been against the SWAT type unit totally, or even in general.

[Tammy8]

I had no issues with SWAT before, in recent years though every wide spot in the road is forming a SWAT team, collecting military vehicles and gear. Smaller police forces cannot afford to dedicate men to units like that so their training has to be less than ideal. Not to mention when they have budget talks they have to justify having a SWAT team. The only way to justify the money spent is to use the SWAT team; from a budget standpoint the more they use it the better. In my opinion that is why SWAT is being used to serve regular warrants, and against garden variety potheads in some cases.

In too many places we have small town police officers, with little or no real SWAT training- yet they have all the toys the big boys do. They are also encouraged to use those toys at every opportunity. What could possibly go wrong?

[C. Edmund Wright]

Tammy very well said, and on the money. I too have spent most of my life inherently giving cops the benefit of the doubt and accepting the new toys and gear.

But I cannot ignore what is going on all around us. Freepers and other conservatives who think this militarization of cop departments isn’t connected to the IRS, TSA, ATF, BLM militarization and the growth of government power and government unions are fooling themselves, head buried deeply in sand.

[stevie_d_64]

I bet yet another input to the same “Shock and Awe”, being felt by a surprised media...

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/terrifying-result-militarization-police-210128735.html

Just something to further illustrate how utterly unprepared the majority of the media, and those that live and breath by “these” particular sources are shocked by these revelations...

Some of this already saw this happening years ago...

Yawn.../sarc

[af_vet_rr]

The writer seriously understates the importance to effective policing of having public's good will.

There is only one alternative for the law to being in good standing with the public. Its not something any country wishing to remain free would want.

Could not agree more. My son, who is barely old enough to drink and hasn't been to college yet, spent just under a year in Afghanistan as a Marine. He learned more about effective policing and having the public's good will in that year, than these knuckle draggers with badges have learned in 10+ years.

Of course, my son's life relied upon his unit having a good relationship with the locals in the area he operated in. These cops in in Ferguson don't have their lives on the lines in the same manner, and so it's very easy for them to act like an occupying force.

And anybody who doesn't think this can happen in their town is not paying attention - these police forces are not being militarized just in areas with poor or black people. If anything, some of the richest/whitest areas have police forces with a lot more weapons and armor, and trust me, they aren't buying or receiving all of this equipment to protect the citizens.

[af_vet_rr]

Militarization of the police is beginning to sound a lot like the gun issue.

Blame the guns, not the murderer.

Blame the equipment, not the abuse of power.

Ultimately it points to more control from the Feds and less individual and local autonomy.

The casual manner in which the police in Ferguson disregarded the Constitution should scare the hell out of anybody who calls themselves a Conservative.

I've seen people on other forums laughing at the media being pushed around. What those idiots don't understand is this: a police force, whether it be local, state, or national, that ignores the 1st Amendment will damn sure ignore the 2nd Amendment.