Share this infographic on your site!



Image source: www.topcriminaljusticedegrees.org Embed this infographic on your site!



Image source: www.topcriminaljusticedegrees.org



The editors at Top Criminal Justice Degrees decided to research the topic of: The Militarization of the Police Are we living in a police state?

- There has been a 4000% increase in "no knock," militarily-armed swat team raids over the past thirty years.

- Mid 80's: 2,000-3,000 raids per year[1]

- Present day: 80,000 raid estimate[1]

- ------------------

- Pros:

- --Element of Surprise

- --Suspect can't destroy evidence

- Cons:

- --Invasion of privacy

- --Seconds for suspect to decide if these or cops or break in.

- --Faulty intelligence



- ------------ Case Study

- Basics:[4]

- Ogden, Utah. 1/4/12 8:40 pm.

- Local swat team battered down Matthew David Stewart's door with no warning. Thinking his home was being invaded, Stewart readied his pistol.

- Stewart: 31 rounds fired

- Swat: 250 rounds fired

- Tip: Stewart's girlfriend saying he might be growing weed.

- Previous record: Clean, veteran.

- Result: 6 wounded swat. 1 killed. Stewart shot twice.

- Findings: 16 small pot plants. No intent to sell.

- Outcome: Upon losing hearing about search warrent legality. Stewart hangs himself in jail cell.



- ------------- And that's just one of potentially hundreds of similar tragedies.

- Spotlight: NY

- 1994: 1,447 swat style drug raids

- 2002: 5,117

- "I have my own army in the NYPD--the seventh largest army in the world." Michael Bloomberg



- ------------

- Swat Armament:[3]

- Submachine Guns

- Automatic Weapons

- Breaching Shotguns

- Sniper Rifles

- Stun Grenades

- Heavy Body Armor

- Motion Detectors

- Advanced Night Vision Wear

- Armored Personal Carriers

- "From the Gulf war to the drug war--Battle proven" Heckler and Koch's slogan for the M5[6]



- ------------- These "criminals" are heavily armed too, right?

- WRONG:

- [Weapon used in violent crime: %]

- Gun: 12.7%

- Knife: 10.1%

- Other: 12.1%

- Unknown weapon: 1.8%

- None: 55.8%

- Don't Know: 5.8%



- ----

- So how can we allow this? The fact is, we don't.

- 1970: The "no-knock" law is passed with the beginning of the war on drugs.

- 1974: The law was repealed.

- Today: "No knock" happens ALL THE TIME.

- ------

- Leading to more and more unecessary, intrusive, illegal, and deadly SWAT raids.

- Raids leading to civilian injuries, death, or intrusion of the privacy of innocents.

- While injuries from "no knock" raids have been around since the inception of the swat team. Paramilitary like brutality has become a feature of the increasing armed SWAT of the last 10 years.



- Using the military in civic life is like using a hammer when you need a butter knife. There's bound to be collateral damage. It could happen to you, your neighbors, your friends, or your family. Speak out against the militarization of the police. Citations

- http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-02-14-noknock14_ST_N.htm

- https://www.aclu.org/blog/criminal-law-reform-free-speech-technology-and-liberty/too-many-cops-are-told-theyre-soldiers

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWAT

- http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323848804578608040780519904.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStories

- http://www.cato.org/raidmap



