Umm, question. What exactly are we hunting?
From the book:
The last days of colonialism taught America’s revolutionaries that soldiers in the streets bring conflict and tyranny. As a result, our country has generally worked to keep the military out of law enforcement. But according to investigative reporter Radley Balko, over the last several decades, America’s cops have increasingly come to resemble ground troops. The consequences have been dire: the home is no longer a place of sanctuary, the Fourth Amendment has been gutted, and police today have been conditioned to see the citizens they serve as an other—an enemy.
Today’s armored-up policemen are a far cry from the constables of early America. The unrest of the 1960s brought about the invention of the SWAT unit—which in turn led to the debut of military tactics in the ranks of police officers. Nixon’s War on Drugs, Reagan’s War on Poverty, Clinton’s COPS program, the post–9/11 security state under Bush and Obama: by degrees, each of these innovations expanded and empowered police forces, always at the expense of civil liberties. And these are just four among a slew of reckless programs.
In Rise of the Warrior Cop, Balko shows how politicians’ ill-considered policies and relentless declarations of war against vague enemies like crime, drugs, and terror have blurred the distinction between cop and soldier. His fascinating, frightening narrative shows how over a generation, a creeping battlefield mentality has isolated and alienated American police officers and put them on a collision course with the values of a free society.
After seeing that I might start drifting toward the AMonger/Layoutshooter camp.
Have to agree. Probably not far away from the local librarian being armed with a AK-47.
After seeing that I might start drifting toward the AMonger/Layoutshooter camp.
I haven't read the full book yet (I do have the eBook), but I am familiar with Radley Balko. I've read the excerpt of the book Rise of the Warrior Cop at the WSJ, and his stuff at Salon and Huffington Post. His stuff on the militarization of the police has been cited in court cases, by judges, including the US Supreme Court.That video has provided the motivation for me to order this book:
"Rise of the Warrior Cop, The Militarization of America's Police Forces"
Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America's Police Forces: Radley Balko: 9781610392112: Amazon.com: Books
Has anyone here read this?
Hard to say, but all of the equipment they are using certainly came from the taxpayers. The sprawling metropolis of Washington, IA, population 7326, just received a MRAP (Mine Resistance and Ambush Protected) Armored Vehicle. It's 39,000 pounds and 10 feet tall, and is in every way that matters a tank. They cost $412.000 each, and the military is just giving them away. 165 were donated to local police department just in the 4th quarter of last year alone.Random thoughts about this ridiculous production:
- Were all these people real Springdale cops or some paid actors? In either case, wonder how much of the taxpayers' money was spent on this production?
Funny you should put it that way. In addition to Radley Balko, Peter B. Kraska, an Eastern Kentucky University professor, has been researching the issue for decades, and notes the dramatic rise in SWAT teams and other militarizations of the police since 1980. It really got going under the 1033 Program in 1997 when Clinton signed an executive order promoting the utilization of local police forces as the primary recipient of excess military material. But I digress. Kraska published a research piece that was republished in the December 1997 issue of Justice Quarterly. The piece is entitled Militarizing Mayberry and Beyond: Making Sense of American Paramilitary Policing. (http://cjmasters.eku.edu/sites/cjmasters.eku.edu/files/mayberry.pdf).
- The most realistic situation portrayed as it relates to Springdale, AR was at the very end when "Barney Fife" sitting at his speed trap asks if the viewer "has what it takes" to chase down one of the local housewives and write a speeding ticket.
Certainly no one wants the police in harms way. And that's the normal justification for this crap. Who would be against protecting police officers? They need to be prepared for any possibility, no matter how remote, I suppose. Domestic terrorism, et. al. The problems come when the police use all these toys, just because they gotta, gotta, gotta, even when the situation doesn't demand it. Like, when Seal Team Six Wannabes, accompanied by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, and without warrants, raided several barber shops in the Orlando area searching for people "barbering without an active license." I know that sounds like I made it up, or it was a skit on SNL, but it's the truth. 2010 Barbershop Raids - Orlando Sentinel
- From another point of view, there's a reason for the militarization of the police forces across the country - especially those in major metropolitan areas: gangs and the weaponry they possess. Drug money can buy a lot of firepower, and the cops can easily be outgunned by the gangbangers in a major confrontation if they don't have the right equipment. However, I doubt Springdale has the same degree of gang-related problems as LA or Miami.
Oh, it's not a hoax. That's why I linked to the actual police department instead of a YouTube video link. There are plenty of other recruiting videos out there that, while not quite as bad as Springdale, they do have their moments.Let's assume that this recruiting video is real and not some elaborate hoax, how could there be anyone who would not find this disconcerting?
That will give you the heebee geebees. This is why we need our citizens armed, to be the check and balance to a government that is hell bent on total control