The “Militarization” of our Civilian Police Force.

The “Militarization” of our Civilian Police Force.

When we talk about the “militarization” of our civilian police force, people often do not understand what we are either talking about or railing against.

This recent  article in the Washington Post and accompanying video should make it clear precisely what we are trying to draw citizens attention to:

Watch this video, taken from a police raid in Des Moines, Iowa.  When we warn about the dangers of police militarization, this is what we’re talking about. Raid teams, dressed in battle-dress uniforms, helmets and face-covering balaclava hoods breaking  down the families doors with battering rams. Storming firearms drawn, behind ballistics shields.

Documented in the video is the not uncommon practice of the police destruction of the evidence of their unlawful behavior. You’ll see two officers attempt to prevent the family from having any evidence documenting the invasion of their home, one destroying a surveillance camera, another blocking another camera’s lens.