General News How did America’s police become a military force on the streets?

I really love this article, and agree with it very strongly. Thank you for posting it, Dan.

I just want to quote a few more sections of it, that I think are relevant.

The paragraph quoted here is really the purpose of the essay. The remainder of the essay after that point examines what went wrong policy wise.

Here is the video of that, which I've seen in the past. It's horrible and heartbreaking to watch. Imagine this happening to your family.

[YOUTUBE]enb3FHYf4fk[/YOUTUBE]

 

:tears: That video

 

Don't generalize all police officers because of a few idiots. Thanks.

 

That was the point of quoting the paragraph that I quoted here.

This is an issue that has less to do with the police themselves, and more to do with the public policy that encourages this type of behavior. The essay goes on to examine some of the policies that do exactly that - which is why I think it's a must read when it comes to thinking about reform.

 

There aren't just a 'few' bad cops.

 

For some reason I feel like it all starts with politicians anyways, blah

 

[YOUTUBE]_TPucQHtHZs[/YOUTUBE]

That is a prime example and it explains exactly why police get away with the shit they do.

 

I am with on the side of those who argue a few bad apples. I especially get annoyed when people freak out when a dog gets killed that was being aggressive as shit. Maybe if people had less rottweilers and pitbulls around their would be less dog killings.

 

There are SO many things wrong with assuming a dog is dangerous based on its breed. And if it's the video I'm thinking you're talking about I can guarantee they had zero right to kill that dog.

 

It's perfectly clear to me that we need cops. People will not police themselves.

With that said, I don't agree with the camo and tactical gear worn by the Boston police after the recent bombing. They freaking took over the streets like it was martial law, and that is overtly un-American. I think it was as much a show of force as it was public safety, intimidating people into obeying should they ever need to use that power again.

We have the national guard if we need a military presence in our cities. Until then, we can use regular old police who stop criminals, not lord over us with overwhelming firepower.

 

In the video I posted, I believe the dog was in a cage in the other room. The bullet ricocheted and injured their other dog. (And keep in mind that there was a kid in there - the bullet could have easily ricocheted and hit the kid.) The force they used was completely unnecessary and was dangerous to everyone involved.

That's the core of the problem. It isn't so much the dog killing, though that is awful, it's the fact that they used a SWAT Team to arrest someone who was not dangerous. There was no reason that a normal uniformed police officer with one guy as backup couldn't have showed up to do a normal arrest.

Of course, if you read the article it clearly outlines why SWAT Teams are being used when they aren't necessary.

---------- Post added 9th Jul 2013 at 05:26 PM ----------

This. +10,000

Seriously. There is no reason why we should require police that act like the military. At all.

 

There is no accountablitiy for police actions, no matter what happens it was always justified according to the police department. Maybe if the POLICE didnt get away with MURDER so often there wouldnt be so much resentment.

---------- Post added 9th Jul 2013 at 02:57 PM ----------

[YOUTUBEhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3LVgeOTjqg][/YOUTUBE]

I prefer this video

---------- Post added 9th Jul 2013 at 02:57 PM ----------

Riot Police get their Asses Kicked by Soccer Fans - YouTube

 

America has the number incarcerations per person
Which is higher than all of the other top 20 combined...

 

An excellent point. And as they have become privatized, prisons have become an industry, a big business with close ties to lawmakers lining their own pockets. Together with the police state, it's certainly worrisome. When there's money to be made locking people up, they'll be locked up.

America strikes me as among the most paranoid of nations: ever since 9/11, people have been willing to be cowed into submission, worrying about an increasingly vast number of threats that will probably never happen, and giving up their rights as a result.

 

If you are talking about the video with the dog that jumped out of the car, i would have killed that dog too.

 

Completely agree.