SWATted: The Militarization of America’s Police

SWATted: The Militarization of America’s Police

By Radley Balko

Over the past forty years, American policing has undergone a gradual but important and troubling evolution. Policing in some ways has become more professionalized, organized and regimented, but it has also become more aggressive, militaristic and belligerent. Put another way, there may be fewer cops going rogue today, but the kind of force now permitted and regularly practiced has changed to the point that it resembles rogue behavior en masse. The key case in point is the astonishing increase in the number and use of Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams. In America SWAT teams now violently smash into private homes more than a hundred times each day. The vast majority of these raids are to enforce laws against non-violent and consensual crimes, mostly having to do with illicit drug use. 

In many cities, police departments have given up their traditional blues for “battle dress uniforms” modeled after soldier attire. They now sport armored personnel carriers designed for battle?eld use, and some have helicopters, tanks and Humvees. They carry military-grade weapons. Most of this equipment comes from the U.S. military itself. Many SWAT teams are trained by current and former personnel from special forces units like the Navy SEALs or Army Rangers. National Guard helicopters now routinely swoop through rural areas in search of pot plants and, when they ?nd something, send gun-toting troops dressed for battle rappelling down to chop down and con?scate the contraband. 

But it isn’t just about drugs. Aggressive, SWAT-style tactics are now used to raid neighborhood poker games, doctors’ of?ces, bars and restaurants as well as head shops—despite the fact that the targets of these raids pose little threat to anyone. The sort of force epitomized by a contemporary police SWAT team was once the last resort for resolving dangerous situations.It’s increasingly used as the ?rst option to apprehend people who aren’t dangerous at all. 

In August, for example, a SWAT team in St. Louis County, Missouri was called out to serve an administrative warrant for a white-collar crime. When disturbed neighbors called the media, the local Fox affiliate reported, “St. Louis County police say the use of the SWAT team is standard procedure in serving a felony warrant, no matter what it’s for.” That also appears to have been the case in South Arlington, Texas, where in July a SWAT team served a warrant on an organic farm. Though the raid was ostensibly in response to reports of some pot plants, the real purpose of the police action was to enforce zoning and...