Law enforcement and militarization: The detriment of citizens lives

The same systems responsible for our oppression cannot be the same systems responsible for our justice

Derecka Purnell

Introduction

In simple terms, Militarization occurs after “adopting and applying the central elements of the military model to an organization or particular situation,” as explained by Kraska (2007). This process can be measured through the historical and systemic operations devised by the federal, state, and local governments’ roles in maintaining racial and hierarchical systems (Gamal 2016; Lawson 2021). Militarization has been disproportionately utilized against marginalized communities such as the African American Community since the inception of both the military and police force. Each period of American hegemony has further progressed its goal of becoming a police state Tietz (2016).

Historical Background

Beginning in the Antebellum period from 1812-to 1861, policing intertwined its origins in upholding white supremacy Gamal (2016). In 1838 a central police force was established with a designated slave patrol (Regan 2021; Gamal 2016). Law enforcement officers were organized as street-level bureaucrats who engaged with the population and suppressed slave rebellions (Kraska 2007; Gamal 2016). Post Civil War, African Americans gained freedom which was met with violent resistance from state and local law enforcement who were also affiliated with the Klu Klux Klan. To appease pro-slavery citizens federal actors passed the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, relinquishing African Americans from state protection from violence, and prohibiting the government from using the military as the police. Regan (2021), Gamal (2016), and Kraska 2007) all argue this loosely interpreted document represents the hesitation of Militarizing the police for domestic use. As the African American community gained their freedom, political actors within the federal government implemented new legislation and aggressive policing tactics to assimilate police into the personal lives of citizens.

War on…

Political actors such as the president and their administrations strategically blurred the lines of cooperation between the military and police to further their special interests in national security Kraska (2016). These actors control influence within the media and chain of command using war-themed metaphors to describe perceived threats to democracy. This leads to the operational component of how these two entities purposely intersect with each other despite their drastically different functions. militarizing the police is not an isolated objective, but a strategic and continuous process for hyper surveillance and extreme diversion of crime within civilian communities. As described by previous researchers this can be observed when external insecurities such as terrorism and “war” are used to describe internal domestic issues dealing with crime and drugs (Regan 2021; Gamal 2016; Tietz 2016). This selective language is passed down from the federal level to the state and local police forces, as they are modeled after the military. This form of diction indoctrinates both officers and citizens into accepting militaristic ideology. The police then become a mirror image of soldiers in a war, while citizens are subjected to the role of suspects. In the age of information, political actors doubled down on modernized Military tactics. Like other researchers, Lawson (2021) explained how the 1033 programs’ implementation contributes to other intermingled actions these departments share among themselves. “This involvement includes cross-training, cooperation in anti-drug and antiterrorism activities, and sharing technology, weapons, and information.” This “by any means,” attitude evolved by the police produces heightened intolerance of those suspected of a crime, therefore they’re able to exert maximum levels of power and force to restore order as instructed. He found that the likelihood of a suspect being a victim of lethal force increased the more military equipment funding a department received which “supports the claim that militarization influences the killing of suspects by police”. (Lawson 2019;  Regan 2021).

Sources:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1065912918784209. 
https://www.jstor.org/stable/26529213.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303359456_Militarizing_the_Police_and_Creating_the_Police_State.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/3096870.
 https://doi.org/10.1093/police/pam065.
https://www.californialawreview.org/print/4the-racial-politics-of-protection-a-critical-race-examination-of-police-militarization/
https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/10.2979/indjglolegstu.23.1.267.pdf?addFooter=false.