Wikipedia

Militarization of police

use of military equipment and tactics by law enforcement officers

Militarization of police means when police officers use military equipment and tactics.[1] This includes things like armored vehicles, assault rifles, sniper rifles, grenades,[2] and SWAT teams.[3][4] It is also connected to when police gather information on the public and political activists in the same way as intelligence agencies[5][6] and when police use more aggressive methods.[7][8] A criminal justice professor named Peter Kraska defines the militarization of police as when the police start to act more like the military and follow their ways of doing things.

SWAT members preparing for training
(LAPD) SWAT officers at Lakers parade in 2009

People have noticed that the way police handle protests is becoming more like the military.[9][10] Since the 1970s, police who control riots have been shooting at protesters with rubber or plastic bullets.[11] They also use tear gas, which was first made by the US army in 1919 to control riots. Using tear gas in wars is not allowed by international agreements[12] that most countries have signed, but using it in a domestic (inside of a country) situation or non-combat situation is allowed by police or the military.

Concerns have been raised about the militarization of police. Both liberal and conservative groups, such as the Cato Institute[13] and American Civil Liberties Union,[14] have criticized this practice. The Fraternal Order of Police argue that it increases officer safety and protect the public,[15] but studies have shown that militarized police units are more likely to have violent encounters with the public,[16] they are more frequently deployed to communities with large African American population, no matter the local crime rate.[17]

Many countries have a gendarmerie, which is a military force with police duties among civilians.

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References

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  1. ↑ "Militarization of Police In the United States". Charles Koch Institute. 17 July 2018. Archived from the original on 2020-04-22. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
  2. ↑ Texas Rangers, Department of Public Safety, Branch Davidian Evidence Archived 2009-01-07 at the Wayback Machine, Investigative Report No. 1, September 1999; Investigative Report No. 2, January 2000 (PDFs available at Texas Rangers website). The Rangers found that the FBI used grenade launchers to fire two 40 mm M651 grenades. The Army considers the M651 a pyrotechnic device and that it is known to cause fires. The Army Tech Manual for the M651 warns that it can penetrate 3/4" plywood at 200 meters and "projectile may explode upon target impact". During inventory of the Waco evidence the Texas Rangers also found flashbang grenades.
  3. ↑ James Joyner (June 15, 2011). "Militarization of Police". Outside the Beltway. Archived from the original on December 21, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  4. ↑ Paul D. Shinkman (August 14, 2014). "Ferguson and the Militarization of Police". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on September 6, 2017. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  5. ↑ Michael German (December 18, 2014). "Why Police Spying On Americans Is Everyone's Problem". Defense One. Archived from the original on January 23, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  6. ↑ Josh Peterson (March 25, 2014). "State lawmakers push to rein in police spying". Fox News Channel. Archived from the original on March 17, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  7. ↑ Ryan Van Velzer (June 24, 2014). "ACLU: Free military weapons making Arizona police more aggressive". The Arizona Republic.
  8. ↑ Jodie Gummow (August 29, 2013). "11 over-the-top U.S. police raids that victimized innocents". Salon. Archived from the original on January 20, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Crisis and Control". uchicago.edu. Archived from the original on 2016-05-10. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
  10. ↑ "Congress scrutinizes police militarization before planned Ferguson protest". aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 2016-01-14. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
  11. ↑ http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/plastic+bullet Archived 2015-06-06 at the Wayback Machine "A solid PVC cylinder, 10 cm long and 38 mm in diameter, fired by police or military forces to regain control in riots."
  12. ↑ e.g. the Geneva Protocol of 1925: 'Prohibited the use of "asphyxiating gas, or any other kind of gas, liquids, substances or similar materials"'
  13. ↑ "20. Stopping Police Militarization". Cato Institute. 2017-02-16. Archived from the original on 2017-09-02. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
  14. ↑ "Police Militarization". American Civil Liberties Union. Archived from the original on 2020-03-24. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
  15. ↑ "Militarized or Modernized?". FOPConnect. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
  16. ↑ Ryan Welch and Jack Mewhirter (June 30, 2017). "Does military equipment lead police officers to be more violent? We did the research". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 30, 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  17. ↑ Mummolo, Jonathan (2018). "Militarization fails to enhance police safety or reduce crime but may harm police reputation". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 115 (37): 9181–9186. Bibcode:2018PNAS..115.9181M. doi:10.1073/pnas.1805161115. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 6140536. PMID 30126997.
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