Surplus equipment adds to military image of police

Protests and violence in Ferguson, Missouri might look similar to the 1999 W.T.O. riots and recent May Day demonstrations in Seattle. The Ferguson Police response renews the question of why police departments often look and act so much like a military force.

In Ferguson, police wore armor, drove tank-like vehicles, used tear gas and fired rubber bullets to break up protests.

“Those lawful peaceful protestors on that Wednesday afternoon in Ferguson, Missouri did not deserve to be treated like enemy combatants,” said Sen. Clair McCaskill, D-Missouri Tues. during a meeting of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. She pointed out that local police agencies have more Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles than the National Guard.

McCaskill questioned a federal program that transfers surplus military equipment to police departments. It’s a program defended by Jim Buerrman, President of the Police Foundation.

“Anybody who thinks that we’re not going to have tactical teams or high-powered weaponry in policing in the United States just has not been paying attention to the realities of police officers.”

Bueerman also told the committee that there should be community buy-in before local police agencies acquire surplus military equipment.

The chairman of the committee, Democrat Tom Carper of Delaware, said the government gives military equipment to police for good reasons. But the senator said Congress is considering whether the types of equipment police are getting is “truly needed” to uphold local laws.

Prof. Peter Kraska, author of the book: “Militarizing the American Criminal Justice System” said most police departments maintain a quasi-military style organization.

“The federal government has increasingly, since 9-11, played a significant role in accelerating these trends toward militarization.” Kraska argued that military equipment reinforces a “war fighting” mentality among police, with civilians as the enemy.

“This has devolved into what I’m talking about, widespread misapplication of the para-military model.”

Seattle University associate professor of criminal justice Matt Hickman sees legitimate police uses for military equipment. It’s not significant, he concluded, that police wear uniforms, carry weapons and hold ranks, the same as soldiers.

“It’s not so much about what they look like as it is what they do and that’s why I emphasize training. It’s really about what the officers do and how they interact with people and not necessarily so much about the color of the uniform or the types of equipment,” he said.

Hickman praised former King County Sheriff Sue Rahr, who heads the statewide police training academy, for emphasizing the role of police as guardians, more than warriors, in her words.

Hickman argued that to win over the public, police must scrutinize their own actions.

“So, police departments of the future are going to have to embrace that, the idea that in a democratic society, our focus in on police behavior and accountability to the public.”

Seattle Police, and its new chief Kathleen O’Toole seem committed to a new focus on community policing, said Hickman. It’s a style and philosophy of police enforcement derailed by the 9-11 attacks, when federal and local law enforcement agencies emphasized homeland security.