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| -Land of the Free |
| Is America inching toward a police state ? |
| 2013-08-24 |
| [PJM] WASHINGTON – The recent revelations about the federal government’s surveillance programs underscore a subtle trend in the U.S. that should raise some concerns about personal freedoms in America. According to John W. Whitehead – founder of the Rutherford Institute, a nonprofit civil liberties and human rights organization – more Americans might find themselves in increasingly dangerous situations as SWAT teams and SWAT-team tactics are used more frequently in routine law enforcement activities. Violent crime in America has been on a steady decline since the mid-1990s. No one knows exactly why criminal activity is down, but experts point to a variety of factors for the continuing decline in overall violence. They cite the end of the crack cocaine epidemic and changes in technology that include a substantial increase in surveillance cameras, among other reasons, as being responsible for bringing down crime. Despite falling crime rates, some of the nation’s major cities are increasing the size and scope of their police agencies. For example, the New York Police Department (NYPD), the biggest police force in the nation, boasts more than 34,000 officers patrolling the streets of New York. Other cities with increasingly large police forces include Los Angeles (which has approximately 10,000 officers) and Chicago (13,400). Perhaps the 'crime rates' are not actually falling, but rather migrating to urban areas. More robust police departments have also been credited with the fall in criminal activity. Nevertheless, other cities without similar increases in their police force, including cities like Dallas and Seattle, also saw decreases in crime rates during the 1990s. In fact, both of these cities have reduced the size of their police departments, which has led some experts to question whether there is a strong correlation between department size and declining crime rates. Experts questioning the obvious once again ? Notwithstanding the lack of evidence, police forces across the nation have not only continued to grow but have ramped up the scope of their activities. In a Pulitzer prize-winning investigative series, the Associated Press revealed an NYPD surveillance program of Muslim communities. The AP investigation detailed how, after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, NYPD commissioner Ray Kelly sought to transform elements of the nation’s largest police force into a miniature CIA, with the help from the intelligence agency, which is prohibited by law from spying on Americans. More accurately, some agencies assist, some agencies do not. Since President George W. Bush declared war on terrorism in the early 2000s, there has been a crucial shift in law enforcement policies. In an effort to remedy their relative inadequacy to combat terrorism on U.S. soil, police forces throughout the nation adapted their operations to meet the demands of fighting against a different type of threat. American police departments increased their use of military-grade equipment to perform counterterrorism duties. To assist them in deploying this new equipment, police departments sought and received extensive military training and tactical instruction. Are you then saying it [SWAT] then became....an interprise ? Initially, only the largest metropolitan police departments maintained SWAT teams, and they were called upon only when a truly military-level response was necessary. In 1984, around 25 percent of towns with populations between 25,000 and 50,000 people had a SWAT team. That number rose to 80 percent in 2005. The number of annual SWAT deployments in the U.S. has gone from a few hundred in the 1970s to around 80,000 today. According to author and investigative reporter Radley Balko, there are an estimated 150 SWAT raids in America every day. If you don't use it, you lose it. Under the 1033 Program, Congress has allowed the Department of Defense to transfer surplus military goods to state and local police agencies, including high-powered weapons and assault vehicles. Last year, the program stopped the transfer of firearms to police forces because of concerns that state coordinators were not keeping adequate inventory records. Suspension of the firearms distribution programs is expected to be lifted in October. Imagine that, the feds concerned about keeping accurate records of weapons transfers. Recently, Whitehead discussed at the Heritage Foundation some of the startling findings he uncovered while doing research for his latest book, A Government of Wolves: The Emerging American Police State. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #5 Subtle? Subtle? |
| Posted by: KBK 2013-08-24 18:40 |
| #4 Unfortunately, de-civilization and anarchy require a heavy police or military presence. The trend will continue as "the wealthy and well connected" move to safer, gated communities and more tax advantageous overseas locations. As the migration continues, the "disadvantaged" begin to fill the ranks of law enforcement. Political and tribal loyalties then make turn the enforcers into oppressors. As municipal police pensions collapse, we may begin to see the rapid growth of private security companies. I look for this to happen soon. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2013-08-24 11:01 |
| #3 You and me both Uncle P. g(r)om, I was thinking more like plummeting or galloping rather than inching, no? Oh BTW "subtle" to me is something like a feather stroke NOT like a stroke from a 10' sledge. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2013-08-24 08:46 |
| #2 Short answer: yes. Control and fear are what this is about. I'll never get the image of that SwatPunk holding the Auto on Elian Gonzalez and Uncle(?) out of my head.... |
| Posted by: Uncle Phester 2013-08-24 07:03 |
| #1 Is "inching" the right term? |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2013-08-24 03:54 |