![]() These roles, however, can become dangerously conflated when civilian police don military gear and carry specialized weapons. By definition, civil servants are not members of the military and are, instead, civilians charged by the government with the responsibility of protecting and serving the people in their moments of greatest need. Domestic police, however, are meant to protect individuals and uphold the rights that every American is afforded under the Constitution, including the rights to free speech and to assemble. The military’s function is to fight foreign enemies, which requires specialized weapons, gear, and tactics. The streets of America are not some far-off battlefield, and our police are not an occupying force. It is wholly unsuitable for normal policing. Although some tactical gear and special weapons may be suitable to handle a dangerous emergency, such as an active shooter, the use of this type of equipment outside of these limited and isolated circumstances should be restricted to combat zones. Just in the last two weeks, we have seen reels of footage of officers stationed at protests across the country, clad in military gear-helmets, tactical dress, flak jackets, and carrying assault rifles, looking ready for combat-instead of the traditional uniforms worn by our public servants. Fear plus racial bias often proves to be the deadliest formulation: George Floyd- like many Black men killed by police-was not armed, and in fact was handcuffed, when an officer suffocated him.Īnd, of course, the courts have effectively greenlit officers to “ shoot first and think later” by granting them far-reaching immunity from legal accountability, even in the face of gross misconduct and abuse.Ī Danger to the Public and to the Constitutionīy now, the public may be eerily accustomed to local police officers looking like a paramilitary force. Officers fear being killed, even if the person shot by police was not actually in possession of a weapon. Rookie police officers are taught that “ hesitation can be fatal.” Coupled with the prevalence of firearms in this country-which outnumber the total population-police encounters become deadlier. The history of policing in America is inextricably linked to America’s exertion of power for racial control.įear also adds to the noxious mix. It has a long history of being used as a conduit for the oppression of marginalized groups and communities, from the slave patrols of the 1800s to enforcement of racial apartheid and attacks on activists during the civil rights movement to stop and frisk, and on and on and on. American policing has always been fraught with explicit and implicit bias and racism. To be sure, militarization is but one of many causes of fatal police shootings and violence. ![]() America’s rate of police violence far outstrips that of any other western democracy. Many of the victims were unarmed, some were experiencing a mental health crisis, and some were children. Nearly 24% of the victims last year were Black, even though Black Americans make up just 13% of the population. ![]() ![]() That number has consistently been over 1,000 in each of the last seven years. The numbers are jarring: In 2019, police killed over 1,000 people in the United States. And as a 2017 study showed, in law enforcement agencies that use military equipment, officers are more likely to display violent behavior and are more likely to kill the civilians they are supposed to protect and serve. But it is not new.Īs police officers drape themselves in the trappings of a military force, they increasingly look like members of an army prepared to go to war against unarmed civilians, escalating tensions between the police and peaceful protestors. This dynamic has played out dramatically across the country in recent weeks. And as the American public reacts to police violence, a vicious cycle unfolds: The police use more violence to quell protests of police brutality, which results in more death. Militarization did not kill George Floyd, the unarmed Black man killed by Minneapolis police officers late last month, but it undoubtedly contributed to the mindset that has seemingly overcome many American policing organizations. ![]()
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