Examine the Militarization of Police –

In 1829, Sir Robert Peel developed a plan for the London Metropolitan Police and adopted the administrative structure from the British military; however, he wanted a clear distinction between police and military by choosing different uniforms. Peel’s principles of policing were crime prevention, public approval, voluntary cooperation of the public, and the least amount of physical force. United States policing adopted Peel’s philosophy of the quasi-military rank structure, uniforms, and insignia while focusing on crime control as the core mission. Throughout the last four decades, law enforcement’s SWAT teams have become more militarized in uniforms, weaponry, and tactical training. Apuzza (2014) reported that “during the Obama Administration, according to Pentagon data, police departments have received tens of thousands of machine guns; nearly 200,000 ammunition magazines; thousands of pieces of camouflage and night-vision equipment, and hundreds of silencers, armored cars and aircraft” (p.1). This resulted in a drastic increase of SWAT team deployments.

On August 9, 2014, police officer Darren Wilson from the Ferguson Police Department fatally shot Michael Brown, an 18-year-old African American male. The circumstances of the use of force resulted in protest and civil unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. The following day, some protestors became unruly and began to loot businesses, vandalize vehicles, and confronted and shot at police officers who blocked access to several areas of the city. Local police stations assembled approximately 150 police officers in riot gear and used armored vehicles to try to control the situation.

As a safety officer for your law enforcement agency, you will evaluate the militarization of police and provide suggestions for alternative solutions to incidents such as the one in Ferguson. You have been tasked with preparing a written proposal for police leadership. Respond to the following as you prepare your proposal:

Compare and contrast the militarization of police, including factors such as officer’s safety and public safety, as well as civil liberties.
Explain whether or not you believe the threat of terrorism is fueling the militarization of police.
Identify the kind of police actions citizens view as police brutality and overreach of power.
Recommend alternative strategies such as community policing, SARA, and community-oriented policing, and justify these recommendations.
Support your arguments with this week’s readings and your own research. Provide examples of crime statistics to support your thoughts and recommendations.

Support your proposal with a minimum of three scholarly resources. In addition to these specified resources, other appropriate scholarly resources, including older articles, may be included.

Length: 5-7 pages, not including title and reference pages