Kick Ass

The above one-page advertisement from a current military history magazine states, "A good boot can kick some ass when it has to," in an ad entitled, "On the job with the original S.W.A.T." The penultimate panel shows the boot standing in front of a downed arm in handcuffs, with the the phrase, "You have the right to remain silent..."

The Miranda rights seem to be what's being kicked around here, as the previous panel shows a beefy SWAT team member diving on top of the terrified-looking supine suspect, who utters "Argh!" at the moment of being pinioned.

I read this otherwise respectable magazine for its history articles. I was stunned by this so very Marvel comics Superhero ad; not exactly the tone you'd like your law enforcement officers to strike. The concept of kicking ass is not consistent with the police mottoes of "protect and serve."

I recently passed a black Apache helicopter being towed down the interstate in Florida. featuring the word "POLICE" painted on the side in bold white letters. Yes, this is the military's Apache Attack helicopter, complete with 20 mm cannon. So now the police have attack helicopters...but why? I s'pose those 2.75 inch rocket pods will go a long way to quelling any domestic violence situations.

The Defense Department distributes surplus military gear and machinery gratis to local law enforcement agencies throughout the country. In Georgia alone, "(T)he Defense Department gave 3,425 items valued at more than $1.8 million to more than 100 agencies in Georgia in fiscal year 2005."

"The program includes vehicles (such as APC's), boats, helicopters, clothing, helmets, computers, office furniture--almost everything you can imagine," said Buzz Weiss, public affairs officer with Georgia Emergency Management Agency, which oversees the state's excess property program. "Each certified law enforcement agency in the state can access a password-protected Web site where they can shop for surplus items that are offered by the Pentagon for free." (AP, 1/28/07).

Of course, there are some potential minor drawbacks that come with this booty. Namely, this could turn law enforcement agencies into paramilitary units.

Popular Mechanics recently ran an article discussing the militarization of U.S. police forces ("Swat Overkill"). Included is a discussion of "No Knock" drug warrants. In effect, it is becoming commonplace for police now to use military tactics to make dynamic explosive-type entries into civilian homes. The article notes, if you "dress like a soldier, you think you're at war."

It reminds one of the warrants which led to the WACO and Ruby Ridge fiascoes. Absent an immediate threat, these explosive-type entrances should not be used in less volatile situations, like serving routine search warrants for illegal drugs.

My local Tallahassee Police Department Swat team wears black T-shirts with rifle scope crosshairs on front, and the phrase "We Still Make House Calls" on the back, accompanied by a picture of the team making a dynamic entry. This threatening stance is not what police functions should be about. These shirts are intimidating and arrogant, and unfortunately, that is what many police officers have become in America.

The question is: Why does the American citizenry accept the fact that our civilian police are armed as heavily as an infantry platoon in Iraq? Not only are they armed, they're combative. Witness the above advert.

The military (National Security Agency) monitors civilian transmissions, the mail can now be more easily opened and no-knock warrants are an everyday occurrence in the People's Democratic Republic of America.

Is it possible that RVN and Iraq have so desensitized the U.S. public to events like kicking down people's doors and burning hooches that we have gained an insensitivity to the invasion of a man's domicile, which is a bedrock concept of democracy? Do we now accept these unacceptable intrusions into our privacy as the natural course of events? If so, where will this take us as a nation?

As "Swat Overkill" notes, "Our homes are supposed to be our castles. The police shouldn't treat them like enemy camps."