Police Militarization

This paper explores the work of six published articles that discuss the topic of police militarization. The purpose of this paper is to explore the polarity between domestic policing and the military. This paper begins by discussing the evolution of the police and the military and then later determining the shift in strategy in favor of police militarization. The paper will also discuss the effect this change has on local communities as well as examples of recent occurences that have made their way into the public eye as a result of “police militarization”. Balko (2013) argues the prevalence of “police militairzation” with the use of SWAT (Special Weapons and Tatics) teams. Hall and Coyne (2013) discuss the factors and strategies in favor of

Schools now have an active police presence on school grounds, which may pose as a threat to children. Militarization has blurred the lines between schools and prisons. In recent years, there has been multiple shootings and violent attacks where schools were the main target. According to Peak 2012, “In 2003, the number of school police officers have increased by 43%”. In other areas of the community, the Black Lives Matter movement has stemmed from police militarization. The over-reactions of a peaceful protest in Ferguson, Missouri prompted the Black Lives Matter movement. The movement is a response to the over exertion of power by domestic police towards inoccent black citizens. According to (Jaccard 2014), today’s police respond to domestic violence calls and peaceful protests as if they were fighting in the battlefield. This has caused some controversy in black communities, where they feel that they are being targeted because of their race. The movement shines light on the now aggressive nature of our domestic police and how their behaviors threaten local

Both were created to serve two different purposes where neither jurisdictions could be crossed. The first introduction of local police forces into “militarization” began with the wars on drugs and terror. The creation of SWAT teams were made to neutralize these wars and their threats. Militarization quickly began to find its way into domestic police, through the influence of cultural behaviors from returning military soldiers and new technologies. Police militarization serves the interest of both parties; the military wants to extend its power and increase its budget whereas the police benefits by acquiring powerful weapons and a well trained staff. However, one major disadvantage stemming from the concept of “police militarization”, is that the public has now come to fear domestic police rather than view them as a servant of public safety. The Black Lives Matter movement is a cry for help from local black communities who are being victimized and viewing police as