The Militarization of the US Police
- Deeksha Cirigadi
- May 20, 2021
- 4 min read
Edited by: Karyn Sethi
What is Police Militarization?
For starters, what is police militarization? According to scholars, police militarization is the use of military equipment and tactics by law enforcement officers. Over the last couple of decades, police in the United States have become increasingly militarized, which has reduced public confidence and trust in the law enforcement system. In a national survey from 2016, a majority of Americans stated that they believed that the use of military equipment by police is “going too far.” This decrease in public confidence regarding law enforcement and the low support for militarization hinders the law enforcement’s ability to effectively secure public safety.
Police militarization has been made possible due to two federal programs: the 1033 and 1122 initiatives. The 1033 Program authorizes the Department of Defense to transfer surplus military equipment to local law enforcement agencies free of charge, as long as they pay for shipping and maintenance. The 1122 Program allows police to purchase new military equipment, enjoying the same discounts offered to the federal government.
How it Started & Where it is Today
The current drift toward militarization has its roots in the 1960s, which originated as a response to the social unrest that took the United States by storm at the time. The development of Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) teams in reaction to the Watts riots in Los Angeles led to the beginning of a movement in policing that started banking on military tactics and equipment.
There was undeniably a need for the development of a system such as the SWAT team to deal with serious, violent, and emergency situations. However, since the early 1980s, the SWAT teams have encountered a dramatic expansion, pertaining to an increase in the number of departments creating SWAT teams, missions and SWAT deployments, as well as a dramatic change in the nature of their use.
In 1977, Congress allowed The Pentagon to release surplus military equipment worth more than $6 billion to local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, for policing purposes. This allowed both urban and rural cities to have access to military-grade weapons and equipment. Since its inception, excess military equipment including armored vehicles, machine guns, and military aircraft worth $7.4 billion has been transferred to more than 11,500 law enforcement agencies, with ammunition being the most common requisition.
Today, there are currently more than 18,000 local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies in the United States alone. These agencies employ over 450,000 law enforcement officers who are tasked with the job of protecting public safety in communities across the country. Every year, the law enforcement department performs 10 million arrests, resulting in more than 600,000 admissions to state or federal prisons. These activities cost taxpayers over $126 billion each year.
Statistics of Police Militarization
Research on police militarization has been scarce and mixed, which is why it is difficult to draw conclusions about the impact of militarization and the use of force by police on public safety. A 2017 study found that every 10% increase in the value of military equipment received by a country results in 5.9 fewer crimes per 100,000 people. However, that same study found that receipt of these weapons had minimal to no damaging impact on crime. At the same time, there are multiple studies that have confirmed the concern that the militarization of police results in the usage of a higher level of force against citizens. Overall, statistics suggest that even though using certain types of military equipment may result in reduced crime in a community, they certainly increase the amount of force used on the general public.
According to research by ACLU, the 1033 Program requires departments to use any acquired equipment within the first year of getting it. This creates an incentive for the agency to use the equipment they have received, even if a situation may not actually necessitate its use, simply to justify its retention by the agency. This has led to a dramatic increase in civilian casualties.
These incentives also encourage the police to shift their resources away from catching individuals who pose a threat to public safety to pursuits that will bring in the biggest financial benefits for the department. Such benefits can be derived through civil asset forfeiture or seizure of property associated with drug possession. The want to obtain such benefits has led to an increase in the implementation of aggressive deployment strategies in situations such as serving search warrants and policing protests.
A study of 9,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States found that police militarization neither reduces rates of violent crime nor changes the number of officers assaulted or killed. The study also found that police are more likely to deploy militarized units in predominantly Black neighborhoods, which isn’t unusual since studies have also consistently found that Black neighborhoods are the most over-policed neighborhoods.
Individuals who support police militarization argue that the rise of gangs and cartels has resulted in the use of more sophisticated and deadly weapons by criminals, necessitating the need for more heavily armed officers. Whilst research indicates that gang membership and activity have simultaenously increased, the evidence does not support the stance that more destructive arms are being used during criminal activity.
How to Overcome the Militarization of Police
It is the role of law enforcers to guard the public against criminal activities and restore order. Concurrently, it is crucial for officers to keep in mind that they should avoid the use of excessive force and respect everyone’s moral dignity. In recent years, law enforcement agencies across the country have taken on tactics and equipment that are similar to those seen in branches of the military. Correspondingly, this has led to a decline in legitimacy and trust between communities and the law enforcement system. Proper policing practices require that law enforcement build positive and healthy relationships with the community, respect civil liberties, and avoid tactics that encourage the use of excessive force against citizens.
How Can You Help?
Congress has the power to abolish the 1033 Program entirely by striking 10 U.S. Code § 2576a, however, this needs to be brought into the light to draw more attention. Below are some links to petitions that you can sign to end the militarization of police:
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