The Militarization of Policing in America
American neighborhoods are increasingly being policed by cops armed with the weapons and tactics of war. Federal funding in the billions of dollars has allowed state and local police departments to gain access to weapons and tactics created for overseas combat theaters – and yet very little is known about exactly how many police departments have military weapons and training, how militarized the police have become, and how extensively federal money is incentivizing this trend. It’s time to understand the true scope of the militarization of policing in America and the impact it is having in our neighborhoods. Since March 6th, ACLU affiliates in 25 states filed over 260 public records requests with law enforcement agencies and National Guard offices to determine the extent to which federal funding and support has fueled the militarization of state and local police departments. Stay tuned as this project develops.
Check out this map of the law enforcement agencies with which ACLU Affiliates have filed public records requests.
Consider these ten chilling stories. If the anecdotal evidence is any indication, use of military machinery such as tanks and grenades, as well as counter-terrorism tactics, encourage overly aggressive policing – too often with devastating consequences:
Confused after throwing a deafening and blinding “flashbang” into a home, police mistakenly shot and killed a sleeping nine-year-old.
Read more »
Read more »
Police in North Dakota borrowed a $154 million Predator drone from Homeland Security to arrest a family who refused to return six cows that wandered onto their farm.
Read more »
Read more »
A county sheriff’s department in South Carolina has an armored personnel carrier dubbed "The Peacemaker," which can shoot weapons that the U.S. military specifically refrains from using on people.
Read more »
Read more »
Police in Arkansas announced plans to patrol streets wearing full SWAT gear and carrying AR-15 assault rifles.
Read more »
Read more »
New Hampshire police received federal funds for a counter-attack vehicle, asking “what red-blooded American cop isn’t going to be excited about getting a toy like this?”
Read more »
Read more »
Drone manufacturers may offer police remote controlled drones with weapons like rubber bullets, Tasers, and tear gas.
Read more »
Read more »
Two SWAT Teams shut down a neighborhood in Colorado for four hours to search for a man suspected of stealing a bicycle and merchandise from Wal-Mart.
Read more »
Read more »
An Arizona SWAT team defended shooting an Iraq War veteran 60 times during a drug raid, but had to retract its claim that the veteran shot first.
Read more »
Read more »
A company in Arizona submitted a patent for shock cuffs, which can be used by cops to remotely administer a Taser-like shock to detainees.
Read more »
Read more »
The New York City Police Department disclosed that it deployed “counter-terror” measures against Occupy Movement protesters.
Read more »
MILITARIZED POLICE OFTEN MISTAKENLY KILL INNOCENTS
Read more »
MILITARIZED POLICE OFTEN MISTAKENLY KILL INNOCENTS
Nine-year-old Aiyana Jones was sleeping on the couch next to her grandmother when a SWAT team threw a “flashbang” through the window of her Detroit, Michigan home. The “flashbang” – a stun grenade originally developed for wartime raids – immediately set fire to Aiyana’s blanket. Seconds later, the SWAT team stormed through the door, and confused by the deafening and blinding effects of the “flashbang,” mistakenly shot Aiyana through the neck, killing her.
Questions abound in the wake of this 2010 tragedy. Did the Detroit police truly need amped-up military equipment routinely used in nighttime raids in Iraq and Afghanistan? Did access to the tools and tactics of a combat theater unnecessarily encourage more aggressive policing? If the police had not used a “flashbang,” would Aiyana still be alive?
Aiyana’s sad story is just one piece of evidence showing that our state and local police departments are becoming increasingly militarized – too often with devastating consequences. This trend is worrisome because wartime weapons and counter-terrorism strategies mark a shift in the very nature of policing strategies – and policing should be about community protection, and not about combat.
If the anecdotal evidence is any indication, tanks and counter-terrorism strategies encourage overly aggressive policing. SWAT teams have become a key part of increasingly militarized policing strategies. While only a fraction of SWAT-style raids result in actual charges of any kind, they often provoke fear, hurt individuals and families, and result in damages to personal property.
Take for example a SWAT raid in Arizona that went tragically awry. Dressed in full riot gear and toting massive rifles, a SWAT team attempted to serve a search warrant at an Iraq war veteran’s home as part of a multi-house drug crackdown. Jose Guerena’s wife became alarmed when she saw a shadowy figure standing in their front yard holding a gun. Jose instructed his family to hide in the bedroom closet, picked up his own gun – leaving the safety on – and stepped into the living room. Seconds later, he was dead –the SWAT team shot him 60 times. Representatives for the SWAT team defended shooting an Iraq War veteran 60 times – even after retracting their claim that Jose shot first – although they have declined to say whether they found any drugs in Jose’s house.
Through federal grant programs, state and local police departments have virtually unlimited access to military equipment and training at no cost. Although these wartime tools and tactics are free for cops, Aiyana’s and Jose’s stories remind us that there is great cost to communities.
Until now, the militarization of state and local police forces has accelerated with very little public scrutiny. It’s time to understand the true scope of this trend and the impact it is having in our neighborhoods. On March 6th, ACLU affiliates in 23 states filed over 255 public records requests with law enforcement agencies and National Guard offices to determine the extent to which federal funding and support has fueled the militarization of state and local police departments. Stay tuned as this project develops.
Click here more information about the ACLU’s project on the Militarization of Policing in America.
