# Rise of the Warrior Cop Is it time to reconsider the militarization of American policing? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 21, 2013, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-warrior-cop-is-it-time-to-reconsider-the-militarization-of-american-policing/664128 "2013-07-21T19:16:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-warrior-cop-is-it-time-to-reconsider-the-militarization-of-american-policing/664128/21 "2013-07-22T13:45:48Z")
I noticed a “military fetish” in my local county sheriff department years ago. I’m not talking about the tactics, but just the habit of deputies to wear military style gear more and more. On some (local) guys, it’s just a little thing. Like a special web gear holster with the leg strap at the bottom. But I see out-of-town cops who come to my town for training (My county is the regional center for law enforcement training). Many of the small-town cops wear what amounts to battle dress uniforms, right down to olive drab jumpsuits and web gear. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-warrior-cop-is-it-time-to-reconsider-the-militarization-of-american-policing/664128/22 "2013-07-22T14:38:21Z")
I’ve wondered why, when they just have to arrest one suspect and serve a warrant on the house, they don’t just wait until the guy leaves and nab him, then take his keys and waltz in to the house. Lemme rephrase that…I know exactly why they don’t. Doing it like that wouldn’t give anybody involved a hard-on. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-warrior-cop-is-it-time-to-reconsider-the-militarization-of-american-policing/664128/23 "2013-07-22T14:46:18Z")
“standard issue street soldier” ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-warrior-cop-is-it-time-to-reconsider-the-militarization-of-american-policing/664128/24 "2013-07-22T15:57:41Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > The cops make money from drug busts, since they can confiscate cars, homes and bank accounts, so there are lots of drug busts. You say that as if you believed the officers _themselves_ were being awarded a portion of the spoils like an 18th century naval prize, rather than those confiscated goods either just being destroyed, languishing forever in an evidence locker, or being sold at auction and the revenue going into the municipal fund. > [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > I’ve wondered why, when they just have to arrest one suspect and serve a warrant on the house, they don’t just wait until the guy leaves and nab him, then take his keys and waltz in to the house. Because giving the suspect more time to destroy evidence is generally not seen as a good thing? I suspect the people complaining about the “militarization” of the police are the same people who would have complained 100 years ago that the police were being given guns and automobiles and call boxes, and who would have complained 200 years ago that we were getting police at all when the power of hue and cry had been working just fine for catching the odd cattle rustler or highwayman. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-warrior-cop-is-it-time-to-reconsider-the-militarization-of-american-policing/664128/25 "2013-07-22T16:16:42Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > You say that as if you believed the officers _themselves_ were being awarded a portion of the spoils like an 18th century naval prize, rather than those confiscated goods either just being destroyed, languishing forever in an evidence locker, or being sold at auction and the revenue going into the municipal fund. > … It doesn’t go to a municipal fund, it goes toward the police budget. The officers DO get personally rewarded in the form of new and better equipment, vehicles and weapons. The recipe for corruption is greatest in smaller juristictions where individuals are harder to distinguish from the force. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-warrior-cop-is-it-time-to-reconsider-the-militarization-of-american-policing/664128/26 "2013-07-22T16:18:53Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > It doesn’t go to a municipal fund, it goes toward the police budget Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-warrior-cop-is-it-time-to-reconsider-the-militarization-of-american-policing/664128/27 "2013-07-22T16:27:12Z")
> [@Werekoala](#): > > Only to people who don’t understand journalism and buy into the left-wing anti-WSJ hype. Sure, they’re more capitalist than, say, the NYT, but it shouldn’t be a surprise that they’re concerned about a police state any more than a leftist would be. After all, look who holds the leash right now. I think you’ll find the Democrats are not holding the leash of the Ogden, UT police. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-warrior-cop-is-it-time-to-reconsider-the-militarization-of-american-policing/664128/28 "2013-07-22T16:35:16Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Cite? [Here’s a shitload of them.](https://www.google.com/search?q=drug+bust+confiscation+funds+police+departments&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a) Enjoy! And of course, police officers don’t receive confiscated money themselves … officially … that we know of. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-warrior-cop-is-it-time-to-reconsider-the-militarization-of-american-policing/664128/29 "2013-07-22T16:37:36Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > You say that as if you believed the officers _themselves_ were being awarded a portion of the spoils like an 18th century naval prize, rather than those confiscated goods either just being destroyed, languishing forever in an evidence locker, or being sold at auction and the revenue going into the municipal fund. Are you saying that the seized money goes into a general fund rather than specifically the Police budget? I think you might be wrong there. [Seized Drug Assets Pad Police Budgets](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91490480) > [@](#): > > The bundles contained $1 million. According to the law, 80 percent of that will go to the Kingsville Police Department. So that one afternoon’s work will boost the department’s budget by 25 percent. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-warrior-cop-is-it-time-to-reconsider-the-militarization-of-american-policing/664128/30 "2013-07-22T16:38:52Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > And of course, police officers don’t receive confiscated money themselves … officially … that we know of. So your answer is that you have no cite. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-warrior-cop-is-it-time-to-reconsider-the-militarization-of-american-policing/664128/31 "2013-07-22T16:40:41Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Cite? The Institute for Justice has a fairly lengthy [article](http://www.ij.org/part-i-policing-for-profit-2)on asset forfeiture, and just where the proceeds go. If you just want an example from the ACLU, try this small [article](http://www.aclu.org/blog/criminal-law-reform/easy-money-civil-asset-forfeiture-abuse-police). Finally, this [abstract](https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/publications/abstract.aspx?ID=199954) is shorter still. From the abstract: > [@](#): > > Most jurisdictions allow for forfeited property to be kept for official use. An even higher number of jurisdictions (83 percent) allow for proceeds from forfeitures to be used to pay forfeiture expenses. Almost 9 out of 10 jurisdictions specify that funds from forfeitures are to be given to law enforcement agencies or are to be used for law enforcement purposes. This is from 2002, incidentally. I doubt the situation has improved from a civil liberties point of view since then. Edit: Oh, and money is fungible. So, even if the proceeds don’t come with a Xmas tag to the department(s), every dollar that goes into the city/state/federal government’s general fund, is one more dollar available to be sent to law enforcement. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-warrior-cop-is-it-time-to-reconsider-the-militarization-of-american-policing/664128/32 "2013-07-22T16:42:20Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > This is from 2002, incidentally. I doubt the situation has improved from a civil liberties point of view since then. I’m not really sure how keeping the police department solvent is a civil liberties issue. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-warrior-cop-is-it-time-to-reconsider-the-militarization-of-american-policing/664128/33 "2013-07-22T16:45:30Z")
That’s because you are giving this a very superficial examination. When policing pays for itself this way it is going to distort\* their priorities and methods. \*at least influence strongly ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-warrior-cop-is-it-time-to-reconsider-the-militarization-of-american-policing/664128/34 "2013-07-22T16:47:12Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > That’s because you are giving this a very superficial examination. When policing pays for itself this way it is going to distort their priorities and methods. If their priority is “catching big-time criminals”, then I can’t see how it’s a bad thing. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-warrior-cop-is-it-time-to-reconsider-the-militarization-of-american-policing/664128/35 "2013-07-22T16:48:33Z")
Well, grabbing their money is more important than catching the criminal. Is that a bad thing to you? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-warrior-cop-is-it-time-to-reconsider-the-militarization-of-american-policing/664128/36 "2013-07-22T16:50:52Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Well, grabbing their money is more important than catching the criminal. Is that a bad thing to you? They can’t very well do one without doing the other, can they? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-warrior-cop-is-it-time-to-reconsider-the-militarization-of-american-policing/664128/37 "2013-07-22T16:51:37Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > If their priority is “catching big-time criminals”, then I can’t see how it’s a bad thing. It has negative ramifications in terms of where police attention will be focused. Big-time criminals, by and large, are profit-driven. They’re not generally violent. Beyond that, big-time criminal enterprise should be handled at the state or federal level. I would prefer that my municipal police department focus on rapes, murders and burglaries than on drugs and money laundering (which, off the top of my head, are the only common criminal activities likely to generate substantial sums to size.) ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-warrior-cop-is-it-time-to-reconsider-the-militarization-of-american-policing/664128/38 "2013-07-22T16:54:12Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I’m not really sure how keeping the police department solvent is a civil liberties issue. Read the articles that I linked already. If the police are a for-profit institution, as asset forfeiture is helping them to be, then they will prefer activities that maximize the profit they can make. This includes: increased DUI checkpoints, if the state allows for the [seizure of the vehicle used by the driver](http://www.nycdwilaw.com/html/car-forfeiture.html); an increase in In Rem actions against cash (go look at the [examples in Tenaha, Texas](http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-texas-profiling_wittmar10,0,6051682.story), and the police unjustly confiscating cash from primarily African-Americans. There are plenty of other accounts. I wouldn’t be surprised to see many in **Evil Captor** ’s list.); increased drug raids, which per Balko’s book, are increasingly militarized and very dangerous for all involved. Hell, just look at the examples of communities setting up red light cameras, then [altering the yellow light times to decrease safety](http://www.slate.com/blogs/crime/2013/05/21/traffic_cameras_did_florida_shorten_its_yellow_lights_to_rake_in_traffic.html), yet increase the likelihood of a red-light violation. Or you can nitpick something in either my posts or **Evil Captor** ’s, instead of taking the time to read the well-sourced paper from the IJ. It’s up to you. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-warrior-cop-is-it-time-to-reconsider-the-militarization-of-american-policing/664128/39 "2013-07-22T16:54:47Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > They can’t very well do one without doing the other, can they? Umm, no. You can easily siphon a portion of drug money forever without ever catching the big time criminal. Since drug dealers adjust prices to reflect siezures, it’s win-win for the cops and the crooks. Not so much for people who want criminals caught, which I thought you might get behind. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-warrior-cop-is-it-time-to-reconsider-the-militarization-of-american-policing/664128/40 "2013-07-22T16:57:24Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > This includes: increased DUI checkpoints, if the state allows for the [seizure of the vehicle used by the driver](http://www.nycdwilaw.com/html/car-forfeiture.html); an increase in In Rem actions against cash (go look at the [examples in Tenaha, Texas](http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-texas-profiling_wittmar10,0,6051682.story), and the police unjustly confiscating cash from primarily African-Americans. There are plenty of other accounts. I wouldn’t be surprised to see many in **Evil Captor** ’s list.); increased drug raids, which per Balko’s book, are increasingly militarized and very dangerous for all involved. Hell, just look at the examples of communities setting up red light cameras, then [altering the yellow light times to decrease safety](http://www.slate.com/blogs/crime/2013/05/21/traffic_cameras_did_florida_shorten_its_yellow_lights_to_rake_in_traffic.html), yet increase the likelihood of a red-light violation. DUI, drug smuggling, and running red lights are all _illegal_ activities, are they not? I can’t find it in me to get worked up or morally outraged by the idea of the police using their resources to better enforce the law. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-warrior-cop-is-it-time-to-reconsider-the-militarization-of-american-policing/664128.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-warrior-cop-is-it-time-to-reconsider-the-militarization-of-american-policing/664128.md?page=3)