How the War on Terror Militarized the Police
By Arthur Rizer and Joseph Hartman, The Atlantic
09 November 11
[Excerpted] "The most serious consequence of the rapid
militarization of American police forces, however, is the subtle
evolution in the mentality of the "men in blue" from "peace officer" to
soldier. This development is absolutely critical and represents a
fundamental change in the nature of law enforcement.
The primary mission
of a police officer traditionally has been to "keep the peace." Those
whom an officer suspects to have committed a crime are treated as just
that - suspects. Police officers are expected, under the rule
of law, to protect the civil liberties of all citizens, even the "bad
guys." For domestic law enforcement, a suspect in custody remains
innocent until proven guilty....the deployment of lethal
violence is an absolute last resort.
Soldiers, by contrast, are trained to identify people
they encounter as belonging to one of two groups - the enemy and the
non-enemy - and they often reach this decision while surrounded by a
population that considers the soldier an occupying force. Once this
identification is made, a soldier's mission is stark and simple: kill
the enemy, "try" not to kill the non-enemy. Indeed, the Soldier's Creed
declares, "I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of
the United States of America in close combat." This is a far cry from
the peace officer's creed that expects its adherents "to protect and
serve."...
Majia Here: We are seeing the result of the militarization of US police in their violence against peaceful OWS protestors
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