The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - The Militarization of Police...A good thing?

ronl · June 30, 2014, 01:56 AM

Do I agree with the militarization of the police? Absolutely not. Almost daily, there are stories of abuse of power by police forces around the country. It a subject that deeply disturbs me. There is simply no excuse good enough to justify the taking of a single innocent life, period. Rules for use of units such as SWAT need to be defined absolutely and adhered to strictly. There is absolutely no need for no-knock raids, and they should be eliminated. There should be some type of local oversight established, using ordinary citizens, with the power to weed out those whose egos are too big for police work. There should be a zero tolerance policy concerning abuse of any type coming from police. They should set the standard for behavior, and that standard should be very high. How would you feel if it were your child, or wife, maimed or killed in the service of a warrant at the wrong address? We were just doing our job is of little consolation at that point, and it is an absolute lie, as at that point it is clearly obvious that someone wasn't.

June 30, 2014, 01:56 AM	#58
ronl Senior Member Join Date: December 2, 2007 Posts: 1,100	Do I agree with the militarization of the police? Absolutely not. Almost daily, there are stories of abuse of power by police forces around the country. It a subject that deeply disturbs me. There is simply no excuse good enough to justify the taking of a single innocent life, period. Rules for use of units such as SWAT need to be defined absolutely and adhered to strictly. There is absolutely no need for no-knock raids, and they should be eliminated. There should be some type of local oversight established, using ordinary citizens, with the power to weed out those whose egos are too big for police work. There should be a zero tolerance policy concerning abuse of any type coming from police. They should set the standard for behavior, and that standard should be very high. How would you feel if it were your child, or wife, maimed or killed in the service of a warrant at the wrong address? We were just doing our job is of little consolation at that point, and it is an absolute lie, as at that point it is clearly obvious that someone wasn't.