The militarization of the police

Rodney King comes to mind, but specifically I'd say clubs were used more leading to more/worse injuries on both sides. .

Yes, one case makes for a great statistical analysis.

Before Tasers, they hit them with batons, flashlights, broke their wrists putting them in wrist locks, choked them out, and sometimes shot them. All which got the cities sued.

I've been getting increasingly bothered by this over the last few months after seeing pics of what looked to me, as ex-military, like an army unit that actually turned out to be a police department hunting down and killing some suspect in the woods of Northern California. Then today I read this [huffingtonpost.com] (yeah, HuffPo...I know) about a town PD purchasing an armored vehicle when it really looks like they have no need for it.

It seems to me that what's at play here are the usual things like companies wanting to make a buck at taxpayer expense, officals spending money on stuff that we don't really need, PD's wanting to have the newest and baddest shiny toys, citizens believing the hype about being under constant attack from criminals/terrorists.

I'd appreciate yourr thoughts on whether this bothers you or if you are just fine and dandy since it's only the bad guys who need to worry, right?

Which came first, the chicken or the egg.....

20 century in big city PD's has mostly been eradicated but the contempt for the cops grew out of it's exposure. Now we also get flooded with images of every misdeed which fuels the disrespect. Unfairly, oftentimes. I do believe that the vast majority are good.

Nonsense:

Read:
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2011...ce_to.html


When you have you brothers in blue coming out to support disgraced cops... You need to ask yourself which side they are on

Too bad for the average citizen they go TO JAIL for actions like that...:

It's not nonsense. You have no idea what the scale of corruption was back then. It's nothing compared to today.

I don't have a problem with the police having this equipment; what bothers me is the increasing use of paramilitary police raids when it's really not necessary. It used to be that these types of no knock warrants with the police rushing in with machine guns and full tactical gear while dropping flash grenades was only used when the suspect was very dangerous. Now it seems like it's becoming the norm, and I think part of it is just that the police think it's fun.

Actually, no. The policies of how warrants are served comes from far up the ladder. City attorneys and risk management departments play a large role.

And if you have a particular way of knowing exactly when a warrant is going to be a high risk one, you should share it with law enforcement. Then, so many wouldn't be killed serving warrants in less severe ways.

Actually no.... If you need to defend yourself, you can use the force which is necessary to do so, up to and including deadly force.

We pay police officers to deal with those who wish to be violent. Sometimes, like sausage making, that isn't a pretty sight.

Feel free to sign up and offer your services in dealing with violent individuals, I'll bet you'd be just spiffy at it.....

.....

I think there's always going to be risks. A commando raid when serving a warrant on a 16 year old suburban kid who is selling weed to his high school classmate is not.

Probably not. But it's not as easy as many think.

Just one of NUMEROUS cases I can find, just doing a little "investigative" work.......