The Militarization Of American Police Departments - 884 Words

I chose to do this second paper on the militarization of American police departments. This will lend to the thesis Greg and I intend to submit for our final presentation – so we are beginning our research now. As discussed in class, the militarization of police departments is leading American police departments – city or small towns – to act like occupational forces. This is due to several different factors ranging from the availability of weaponry and tanks, to the training of the police departments, to the accessibility of locating crime by advanced surveillance and tracking systems. To further our exploration, Greg and I chose two episodes of the HBO show Vice to watch and elaborate on. For our final presentation we will incorporate these as well as a book Greg has read and some interesting research we will find online. Not only is the militarization of police departments a controversial subject, the consequences of such a transition of our police is det rimental to many. The episode of Vice, and something we are all aware of and have discussed extensively in our courses, reference that the consequences are felt far more severely on the African American population and in low income areas. The two episodes of vice interview several different people about the effects this has on them individually and their communities. These effects, in turn, lead to lack of faith in law enforcement. The first episode of Vice is titled â€Å"Surveillance City† and takes place isShow MoreRelatedAdvantages Of Police Militarization712 Words   |  3 PagesThis paper provides an overview on how the police militarization in the New York City under the New York Police Department in affecting the culture of both police and people living the city. The paper further discusses the benefits and issues arising from police militarization. The concept of police militarization involves the use of military equipment and tactics law enforcement officers as well as the use of intelligence agencies to gather information from members of public and political activistsRead MoreMilitarization Of The Police Is An Arising Public Concern1530 Words   |  7 PagesMilitarization of the police is an arising public concern over the past recent years. Society has tried to comprehend the concept of militarizing the police. The public is terrified of the idea of what militarizing the police can mean for America. According to US Senator Elizabeth Warren â€Å"This is America, not a war zone,† she felt the need to express her thoughts because of the outrage that were occurring in Ferguson. 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This paper will discuss the history of globalization, privatization, militarization, and cover the impactsRead MoreWhy Law Enforcement Should Be Legal Essay934 Words   |  4 Pages Police militarization is one of the most controversial topics when we speak of local law enforcement. Protestors from around the country have produced a tremendous amount of false information about the militarization of law enforcement officers. Whether the information is in a newspaper from a journalist, or just on the Internet in forms of blogs and forums, the information being provided does not contain the complete true. Secondly, among the public individuals who are against po lice militarizationRead MoreThe Debate Over Police Violence1864 Words   |  8 Pageswith police violence because I feel very strongly on the topic and have a strong appreciation for the police force and wanted to make sure the topic wasn’t presented with a bias. With the debate we had a lot of obstacles come about. We started off by choosing a topic that was probably a little too much of a hot topic and found it really hard to try and find people to debate on the topic. We tried to contact every student group on campus that would possibly be interested in debating about police violenceRead MoreLocal Law Enforcement2158 Words   |  9 PagesThe militarization of local law enforcement was started by the Nixon administration s declaration of the war on drugs in the early 1970s. In the 1980s, as result of President Reagan s escalation that poured millions into the war on drugs, moving the focus of local law enforcement away from violent and property crimes to mostly small-tim e drug offenders. The sprouts of militarization were supported in the years that followed through federal COPS and Byrne grants and asset seizure legislationRead MoreThe Warrior Cop Project Organization Department Enforcement Officers2022 Words   |  9 PagesCriminal justice majors have defined militarization of police forces as â€Å"the process whereby civilian police increasingly draw from, and pattern themselves around, the tenets of militarism and the military model† (Greenwald, 2014). Whereas, Kraska and Kappeler (1997) defined militarization as â€Å"a set of beliefs and values that stress the use of force and domination as appropriate means to solve problems and gain political power, while glorifying the tools to accomplish this [with] military power,Read MorePolice Brutality : A Nation Of Free And The Home Of The Brave1304 Words   |  6 Pagesserve. Police militarization in a post-9/11 era has led to constant tales of abuse of authority by police departments nationwide. The issue is threefold. First, police brutality is growing as a national problem. The people charged with making the streets safer for ordinary citizens are becoming the enemy of the people, the villains, who consider themselves judge, jury, and executioner. Secondly, even the smallest police departments are armed with military grade weaponry. And, thirdly, police regularly