Is Americas police department slowly becoming militarised?
826272
I am european, but I am a frequent visitor to america.\n\nI think that americans are generally unaware of how much they are manipulated by their politicians in terms of what they think is normal.\n\nAmerican culture is in itself militarised.  In Europe we laugh about how every worker in america has to have a uniform...and badges...and a batman type utility belt....\n\nWe also are amused at how every emergency is met by throwing as many uniformed people at it as possible.  This was beautifully parodied in 'The Blues Brothers' with all the SWATS going 'huck...huck...huck..while abseiling.\n\nAmerica is still a young culture, and the rest of the world still see it as a country full of people who are impressed by childish things, so the militarisation of your police departments is not slow...it is painfully and amusingly obvious to everyone but americans.
193511
I believe we are starting to see signs of a determined effort on the part of the US administration to give the fledgling Iraqi government a timetable to deal with, in terms of the US reducing its troop strength. This is happening for a number of reasons.  1) The American people have had quite enough of the pace of this war and our inability to stop the senseless killings of our troops, by these devil worshiping bastards the media calls, insurgents.\n2) We need to free ourselves up from this circle jerk before the next one starts.\nWe may not see a complete troop withdrawal for a long time, but we may be able to pull our guys back or out of harms way so they are no longer practice fodder for the bad guys.  Remember, the bad guys don't want to see us go, they want to keep us there putting out fires, but hopefully we can see that and not allow ourselves to play into it.
1024591
No. Just look at them. Their riot police looks more terrifying than imperial warriors from "Star Wars", and even their normal police is armed to their teeth all the time and quite aggresive.\nBut most important of all, the current German police includes a large number of former East German policemen, whose job and duty was predominantly the oppression of the people and their opinions and expressions of freedom.
962503
Honestly? I don't think our society (if you mean American society) has ever become sensitive to police brutality against young black men. Or black males of any age. \n\nHowever, it may seem like there has been a sudden shift in occurances of police brutatlity because they (police force) are getting worse in their out-of-control behaviour and actions. The cases of needless deaths of non-violent victims are occuring almost on a daily basis. It is dawning on people how corrupt the department, as a whole, has become. Officers shoot unresisting, unarmed men in the back now and it's outrageous and WRONG.\nIt is white and black men, white and black females.\n\nIt's disturbing. And it's scary. They're getting away with it, and being paid to do it. As a citizen of the general public, you don't even have to make 'a wrong move' to get shot to death today.\n\nAn 18 year old drunken boy was staggering to his own front door to get away from a frightening police squad and they shot him in the back 3 times because .... because why?\nHe was incoherently drunk, young, disoriented, scared and trying to get away from being pelted with beanbags. They had no provocation to shoot him but they did.\nHe was a white male.\n\nIn my opinion, it's not about race anymore (though for some officers it certainly is). For ALL police officers, it's about power now. If you do not surrender yourself completely to a police officer and show to them you are at their mercy, they will do whatever they have to, whatever they want to MAKE YOU. When their lights turn on, your rights are turned off.\n\nEver read the side of their vehicle?\nTo Protect and Serve. \nBut it isn't to protect and serve us. lol\nIt is to protect and serve themselves. \nWho are they?\nThey're employed by government.\nAnd that's exactly who they're going to protect. \nThey are merely an end result of our own government - which, clearly, is out of control and frankly, not at all ours anymore.
362235
If you take a close look at history, whenever the police started the behavior they now exhibit, violence, military style tactics, etc., this is how governments take control away from the people. It is called police terror.Have you noticed they now call us subjects? What does that imply? We are in trouble.Every time one of those bastards gets shot, I cheer.You can have no respect nor faith in an organization with the agenda that they now have. Screw the government and Screw the police.By the People For the people MY A.S.S.!!! Bring on the revolution
975407
We are slowly learning things that the administration has been hiding concerning things like U.S. servicemen being killed by Iraqi police.\n\n\nThis is in keeping with making all useful information "classified" then demanding of the opposition "What's your plan?"\n\nLike blindfolding you then telling you to identify the color of the car that just drove by.
570184
police are no longer police.they are now political pongs for who ever is in control.
539372
If social degeneracy* is gradually eliminated, it will be possible to gradually reduce the size of the FBI, State and Local Police Forces.\n\nYes, compared to the theoretically possible ideal, there are far too many people working for the government.  There are currently far too many functions where government overlaps, with federal, state and local involvement.\n\nIf these functions could be served by regional authorities rather than by city, county, state and federal, there would be incredible savings.\n\nThe States could further the savings by making all police forces a part of the State Police.  This would enable bettering monitoring of the police and crime statistics and immediate apportionment to pronlem areas, far better crime prevention and evidence control and standards.\n\nTo say nothing of the far greater efficiencies.\n\n*prostitution, assault, robbery, burglary, theft, shoplifting, bank robbery, murder, kidnaping, illegal drugs, &c.
248846
I think it is.Its not USA which is the pacific police.Its only BUSH.
878811
I would say both Britain and the U.S. are becoming police states. The evidence in the U.S. - the Patriot Act, habeus corpus scrapped, no lawyers for enemy combatants, banishment zones for registered sex offenders, more public cameras everywhere, talk of public registries for all former offenders, attorney general wanting ISPs to keep all people's Internet doings for three years.\n\nThe evidence in the UK - cameras everywhere. (Being an American, I am sure there is more than this, but this is what I have read about.)
1163790
i don't want to have us look like a police state, and we already have a border patrol, so i say beef up the border patrol , or transfer forces from another Branch somehow.  point is, we need our border patrol to do it, but they need the resources.  also, thanks to any border patrol agents reading, and i would love to see some input from you.
92924
Not lately.  Illegal war in Iraq, illegal spying without warrants, illegally detainment in Guantanemo without due process, lack of separation of church and state, denying rights to gay people.
670329
they want to take over which means that there is no alternative to deadly force. my friend's mom said that they are taking over not through war but by eventually outnumbering americans.
382104
The police department.  They have a tone of them.
897608
more policemen. we are sure hearing about more dieing on the line of duty now.
708001
Police have always asked for more powers, but when these powers have been granted, they have been abused, and not used for the intended purpose.\nFor example, Anti-terrorism measures are more often used against peaceful protesters than suspected terrorists.\nThe founding fathers created a system of government primarily to protect the rights of themselves (the rich), but they realized that too much power in hands of the government could lead to a fascist police state.\nThe civil rights we have now were not given to us we had to fight for every one of them, now they are being taken away, but only as long as the people allow this to happen.\nThe government is very scared of the people, and justifiably so, it is only a matter of time till their clique is kicked out of office, and a more representative and participatory system of government is formed.
735818
I believe it goes against the very things Americans fought over for their independence. When checks and balances are basically not permitted, then who polices the police?