...Militarized Police: A Growing Epidemic Eric Reed Liberty University Abstract The purpose of this research is to document the chronic spread of militarization of police agencies across the United States at the federal, state, and local levels. Police militarization is one of the most controversial issues facing our police forces and encompasses a wide range of problems, from cases of excessive force, to civil rights violations, to budgetary problems. This research will include events that led to the creation of the first SWAT units, the aftereffects of the September 11 attacks, as well as the problems that both the contemporary public and police agencies face today. Finally, this project will highlight several proposed solutions to curb the increasing prevalence of police militarization, specifically as it pertains to agency administration. Militarized Police: A Growing Epidemic Eric Reed Liberty University Every day across the United States, tens of thousands of police officers and federal agents put their lives on the line to serve their communities and their country. They face a myriad of threats that could reveal themselves at any given moment, and it's impossible to predict what the next day of work holds for these men and women. The key to survival is to be well-prepared for any situation; as such, it is of utmost importance that our officers and agents have access to the protection and tools they need to deal with and adapt to the ever-changing force of...
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...References ACLU. (2016). Police Militarization. Retrieved from https://www.aclu.org/issues/criminal-law-reform/reforming-police-practices/police-militarization Chang, C., & Winton, R. (2015). Police Tactics in San Bernadino Rampage Win High Praise from Experts. Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com/local/crime/la-me-tactics-20151204-story.html CNN. (2015). Columbine High School Shootings Fast Facts. Retrieved from CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/18/us/columbine-high-school-shootings-fast-facts/ Executive Office of the President. (2014, December). Federal Support for Local Law Enforcement Equipment Acquisition. Retrieved from Whitehouse.Org: https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/federal_support_for_local_law_enforcement_equipment_acquisition.pdf Fantz, A.,...
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...Blake Davis PS 201 Police Militarization 9/9/2014 PRO: Sometimes the only way for an officer to diffuse a situation is by using force. According to an article found on the website of the National Institute of Justice, the use of force is described as the, “amount of effort required by police to compel compliance by an unwilling subject” (International 2012). In some cases, the amount of force necessary to effectively compel compliance can only be obtained through use of military grade equipment. According to Radley Balko, proponent for the opposition of police militarization and author of Rise of the Warrior Cop: The militarization of America’s Police Forces, “There was unquestionably a need for the SWAT team approach in handling serious violent emergency situations, particularly those involving hostage taking and terrorist related incidents, and that was their primary use from their inception through the 1970s.”(Bickel 2013). There are clearly circumstances under which police militarization is necessary to ensure the safety of the public, as well as the police force. Statistically speaking, the police seldom use excessive force when interacting with offenders. During his lecture on August, 2 2014, Dr. Robert Press stated that nationally, it’s estimated that police only use force on 1% of citizen-police contacts. This statistic is verified by a report issued by the Seattle Police Department (SPD Report 2010). Statistically speaking, it is difficult to argue that...
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...For the most part police departments originated for the sole purpose of protecting and serving their own community. Over time their sole purpose seemed to shift from protecting the people to enforcing the law. In turn policemen serve the government, not the people. Consequently, they uphold the law with total disregard for whether their actions create or prevent violence. It is no surprise that the first organized police departments began in urban cities where there was a large inflow of immigrants. These new and different cultures merged together and created an environment of misunderstandings and separation. Those in the upper class feared what was different and used the police to control the working-class. This was evident especially during worker’s strikes. The lower class were targeted harshly and oppressed by the police through constant arrests. Overtime large industrial companies would begin hiring private policing companies to handle their striking employees. Of course the private policing industry was very profitable so only those in power were able to afford...
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...David Bayley and Clifford Shearing: The New Structure of Policing: Descriptions, Conceptualization and Research Agenda Policing is being reconstructed worldwide. Its distinguishing features are (a) the separation of those who authorize policing from who do it and (b) the transference of both functions away from government The change in policing cannot be understood in customary terms. It is often mischaracterized for example as privatization. Because the distinction between public and private domain becomes problematic in the new policing, the more appropriate description for what is occurring is multilateralization—as host of non governmental groups have assumed responsibility for their own protection, and a host of nongovernmental agencies have undertake to provide security services Crucial distinction is made between the auspices and providers of policing. Auspices are groups (and sometimes individuals) that explicitly and self-consciously take upon themselves the responsibility for organizing their own protection. Providers are groups that actually do the policing. In the old paradigm of policing government had responsibility for articulating security needs and for developing institutions to meet them. This has changed auspices can either be public (govt) or private (nongovt) Governments were the organizational auspices for formulating demand for policing, and they were the providers who supplied it. These two functions have become separate it has become acceptable for...
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...governmental and private commercial organizations, as well as difficulties in monitoring performance, create the risk that the management of privatized criminal justice may be subordinate to public policy. Several guidelines are offered to minimize the risks while obtaining the advantages of criminal justice privatization (Shicor & Gilbert, 2002). Militarization Despite historical efforts to make laws that enforce this distinction, during the past four decades domestic policing in the United States has become increasingly militarized. Domestic law enforcement has taken on the characteristics of the armed forces by engaging in military-style training, acquiring military weapons, and utilizing military tactics in everyday operations. To illustrate this militarization, consider the number of state and local law enforcement agencies that have acquired and maintained police paramilitary units (PPUs) or special weapons and tactics (SWAT) units. In 1982, 59 percent of police departments employed a PPU. By 1990, 78 percent of departments had a PPU, and by 1995, the portion had...
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...reports everywhere about police using excessive force, deaths of unarmed civilians and home raids in the middle of the night. While I strongly believe there is no order without those people risking their lives everyday to try and make a change in the world they live in I also believe there is some that make that very hard for the people who actually do their job and protect the people by abusing their power and corrupting the system. Too much of everything is never a good thing, I do not believe it is right to provide peace officers and SWAT teams equipment fabricated for war and destruction to uphold the law inside of the United States, our homeland! Surprisingly after researching the web I did not find much credible information on this subject, which is pretty surprising because of the fact that this is all over the social media. The most information I found was on news channel websites, that will have to do for now. According to CNN new, “The DLA's law enforcement support program was created in 1999. "This is a program legislated by Congress which allows the secretary to transfer some excess military property to local law enforcements," said Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby on Tuesday. “ The Defense Logistics Agency or DLA is kind of like an auction where federal agencies, state or local government organizations can purchase military equipment that is no longer in use by the military, that’s a bit of the background story of the militarization of police which apparently has...
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...trends with current criminal justice organizations. The privatization of criminal justice organizations stems from the idea that awarding contracts to private companies that could run such services efficiently and effectively would potentially save and even earn the government money. (Nichols, 2010) To understand privatized policing we must first differentiate between police and private security force. Although both function as public safety officials and the duties performed are similar, they are two separate entities. “The term police typically refers to sworn officers working as members of the executive branch of government rather than to private security agents or agencies.” (Forst, p. 22, 2000) A private security agency while serving in the same capacity as a police officer is defined differently. The private security term refers to “non governmentally provided services and products used to protect the lives and property of commercial and residential patrons against crime.” (Forst, p. 22, 2000) The most notable differences between police officers and private security agents would be that the police are sworn-in officers working as members of the...
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...numbers, meaning that police are more worried about how many arrests or traffic violations they make than taking into account the solution to the everyday problems of the communities. There seems to be a lack of concern for the communities and if they are actually becoming safer. The civilians of these communities recognize the dysfunctional focus of our police forces. A militarized police force is organized in a way in which our patrol officers or beat officers are not treated as equally to their superiors. “Structures operate better when they allow lower - level employees to make decisions and participate in leading organizations” (Conser, Paynich, and Gingerich 123 - 24)....
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...The second article “Remilitarizing police not the way to be tough on crime,” is more of a one sided argument against police militarization. It tries to capture emotional side about police saying “militarized gear can sometimes give people a feeling like they’re an occupying force, as opposed to a force that’s part of the community that’s protecting them and serving them” (Board, Orange County Register Editorial). The analysis to be drawn from quotes like this is a one sided argument that tries to scare the others and make their point clear and conscience. This article is going against the president and might be considered a bias argument due to this statement, “Trump’s action will primarily encourage and subsidize the trend of militarized law...
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...Militarization of Police Introduction Attention: A police officer climbs out of a military vehicle in front of you carrying an automatic weapon, wearing a helmet, bulletproof vest, and combat boots. Law enforcement says this shows a strong presence in their community, but is this supposed to make their citizens feel safe when statistics show it creates a higher rate of violence against American citizens? I believe that police should not constantly use military equipment for day to day situations. Thesis: The rate of police militarization increased in recent years. Police officers are intended to be public servants, but with the use of military equipment, it appears that law enforcement is at war with the communities they serve. Body A. Steadily on the rise in...
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...rights violations towards minority communities in the United States existed before 1998 and persist into the twenty first century, spurring distrust amongst people of color. Perpetrators of these violations are often those charged with protection: the police. A report by Amnesty International in the same year detailed police using lethal and unnecessary force towards predominately black and Hispanic people (Terence Fitzgerald). Sixteen years later, the death of a black teenager, Michael Brown, at the hands of a policeman, sparked national outrage. The phrase coined, “Hands up, don’t shoot,” addressed the presumption of guilt that exists towards people...
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...In the documentary Peace Officer: The Militarized State of American Police, we see the story of former sheriff William Lawrence, who trained the same SWAT unit that ended up killing his innocent son-in-law in 2008. Later down the road, Lawrence relies on his own investigative skills to find out the truth as to why his son’s life was taken so easily, as well as interviewing some other surviving victims of unlawful police attacks along the way. The events mentioned in this documentary that took place can be seen as acts of Police Brutality. Police Brutality can be best defined as “Abuses of authority that amount to serious and divisive human rights violations involving the excessive use of force that may occur in the apprehension or retention of civilians.” (Salem Press Encyclopedia). Police Brutality has been on the rise for quite some time now, causing passionate people to burst out in protest about the unlawful way police officers use their authority. The majority of citizens have never encountered Police Brutality, as well as the...
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...Drama Script Term 3, 2011 Draft A man is seen sitting at a table with his left hand in handcuffs, strapped to the leg of the table. He is wearing a plain white shirt, with dirt stains and splatters of blood spread across it and his hair is shaggy. There is a single light beaming down on the table and nowhere else, darkness surrounding him. The man looks slowly around the room, looking confused. The man then looks straight ahead where another man (Tom) enters, with a plain folder tucked under his right arm and a coffee mug in the other hand. The second man, a police detective, is wearing black pants, a white work shirt with the back hanging out and a tie, slightly pulled down. The detective sits down and sips the coffee mug, then wipes his mouth and places the mug down beside the folder with the name: Kevin POLLAK written on the cover. The detective opens the folder and begins flipping pages very slowly, and frequently looks back at some of the pages he has browsed. The man continues to look down at the folder for 15 more seconds while Kevin looks around the room nervously. DETECTIVE If you are looking for that bloody mirror, then look no further then to your left. Kevin turns to his left and stares blankly at it for several seconds. Kevin then looks down at his handcuffed wrist for several more seconds. The detective closes Kevin’s folder and sips the coffee mug again. Kevin looks up at the detective and the detective does the same. DETECTIVE You are my...
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...Crime Comparison Paper Christopher Shavers CJA 314 October 3, 2012 Michael Rutledge, Facilitator Crime Comparison Paper Introduction Hate crimes within the United States have become increasingly rampant. The federal government has established hate crime laws in each state except Wyoming. Each state has different definitions of what constitutes hate crimes. The most commonly known hate crimes consist of race, ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation. Most of these crimes are committed by assailants who physically assault their victims. Many victims are also subject to have their property vandalized. (Nij, 2010). This paper will compare hate crime data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report on hate crimes that have been committed in Florida and Georgia during 2010. According to the FBI Uniform crime report, Gainesville Florida had the largest number of reported incidents out of the all the state enforcement agencies during the year 2010. There were a total of 136 incidents reported in the state of Florida. In Georgia seven law enforcement agencies submitted incidents totaling seventeen crimes. Gainesville Florida had a total of eleven incidents of hate crimes. The crimes were motivated by race, religion, and sexual orientation. Three of the incidents were motivated by race, four was motivated by religion, and two each was motivated by sexual orientation and ethnicity. The most occurrences of hate crimes occurred during the second quarter of the fiscal...
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