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Originally Posted by basilisk4
Very insightful post, mrbatchelor. As with many issues, there are multiple potential causes and no obvious solution. But I think you hit on one of the real problems with police forces today: how militarized they are. It has occurred to me more than once in the last few years -- and the specific issue posed by this thread really brings it home -- that some of our law enforcement agencies may be in the process of becoming exactly what our founding fathers were afraid of.
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There weren't any "police forces" in 1776. The whole concept is relatively new in history. Not to say that there hasn't been a "high sheriff" for centuries. Especially in places under English common law.
But the militarization of crime is driving the militarization of law enforcement. And that comes from money. Profit. Pure and simple. Nothing more. The number of weirdos in crime for the power trip is vanishingly small.