Berkeley's paramilitary police

[Brian Howell]

London bobbies are unarmed.* Berkeley's police are a paramilitary force. Why the difference?

*About 5% of police officers in England and Wales are armed.

http://www.berkeleyside.com/2015/07/27/breaking-police-search-berkeley-neighborhood-for-possibly-armed-robber/

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-19641398

http://www.salon.com/2015/07/28/the_real_jade_helm_berkeley_pd_show_citizens_what_police_militarization_looks_like_during_manhunt_for_laudromat_robber/

[Craig Good]

The militarization of police was greatly accelerated by the panic after 9/11 and the resulting sales of military gear by the feds to local departments. It’s a serious problem.

It’s not that I don’t get the attraction of the cool toys, but it’s a mindset not compatible with what police are actually supposed to do and be. Having a SWAT team makes sense in many jurisdictions, but it’s a hammer that can start finding nails everywhere if not restrained.

On Jul 29, 2015, at 08:39 AM, Brian Howell <bdho...@gmail.com> wrote:

> London bobbies are unarmed.* Berkeley's police are a paramilitary force. Why the difference?
>

--
--Craig WWWAYD?
clg...@me.com http://www.craig-good.com

"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it
from religious conviction."
--Blaise Pascal

[Scott Hotes]

On Wed, Jul 29, 2015 at 10:20 AM, Craig Good <clg...@me.com> wrote:

The militarization of police was greatly accelerated by the panic after 9/11 and the resulting sales of military gear by the feds to local departments. It’s a serious problem.

Agreed, it's a real problem.  I believe it's a part of the larger problem in the US of the growing disconnect between the police (and the real or perceived growing concern that they can perform their job with the resources they have) and the people they are there to protect/serve.  This is a large problem, with a large, non-trivial political element.

 

It’s not that I don’t get the attraction of the cool toys, but it’s a mindset not compatible with what police are actually supposed to do and be. Having a SWAT team makes sense in many jurisdictions, but it’s a hammer that can start finding nails everywhere if not restrained.

Whether or not, or to what extent it is true that this is a function of police being attracted to cool toys or whatnot, it will always be a (reasonably defensible) argument for law enforcement that this is already a dangerous (and underpaid) job, don't you want us to have the best equipment on hand to keep us safe?  I mean, what equation are you invoking to trade our safety against public perception?  A priori is it reasonable to tell Berkeley police that, well, although this guy was armed, it was "petty theft", so the risk to you is minimal, etc.

Not sure what kinds of political pressures make sense here to help reduce this trend.

Scott