Deadly Force: Arming America's Police

[n2doc]

US police forces are increasingly using military-style tactics to carry out even the most routine daily operations.

The number of SWAT teams and SWAT-style raids across the county have skyrocketed in the last few decades. SWAT raids occur at an estimated 50,000 raids per year and a majority take place for low-level crimes.

It is a trend that is being propped up by billions of federal dollars in Homeland Security grants and access to free military equipment through the Department of Defense for civilian law enforcement agencies.

In the past, police SWAT teams were only used in extreme circumstances; today, they are increasingly sent out to perform routine tasks.

Nowadays, there are tens of thousands of military-style police raids every year. But only the worst cases make the news.

more

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/faultlines/2014/03/deadly-force-arming-america-police-2014348442383391.html

[Thor_MN]

1. The only way for War, Inc, to "grow" the business is to diversify

Sure, the first taste of military weaponry is free, but once the LEOs are hooked on military gear, they will come running for more at any price. In the mean time, we get to write down our taxes for the stuff we "donated" to police departments, we can crow about it in the press and make neighboring police departments green with envy...

Once they have the equipment, they have to use it, right?

[eppur_se_muova]

2. Excellent summary. nt

[packman]

3. An analogy

You buy that expensive piece of cookware because you saw it on TV, said to yourself -"Self, I really can use that when the crowd comes over and it looks super in my kitchen". You use it once, twice and perhaps even three times then it just sits there taking up space and a bitch to maintain and you discover it really takes a lot of effort to haul it out, set it up,use it, and clean up after it; but, you refuse to throw it away because you paid a lot for it. So now you use it to store the sugar in or purpose it for something else. We've all done it.

That is the problem with police departments with SWAT teams, they have to use them or they'll lose the cops in the squad and the monies for the equipment. Use it or lose it.

[jsr]

4. They sure look, walk and talk like a military occupying force