Posted on 06/14/2011 4:17:25 AM PDT by marktwain
As a citizen, I am outraged and demand that the Secretary be hauled before congress to explain just what in hell is going on.
Yeah, rotsa ruck getting anyone to exhibit even a modicum of outrage or be seen as "soft on crime!"
Even the Demo-Rats who ostensibly pretend to be the "Defenders of Civil Liberties" are hiding under their desks and don't look to our Wuss "Weaper of the House" or any other Republi-Tards, to take up this issue.
My prediction: One day soon, a very prominent person (hopefully a Congress-Critter) will get caught up in one of these incidents with injury/death resulting and then (and only then) will we witness a backlash, calls for hearings and a reigning in of these para-military, Jack-Booted, Fascist, Thugs!
Sadly (and as a former Fed Agent and Nam Vet) my respect (and I'm not alone) for the Police has gradually diminished due to their actions and disregard for our rights and their routinely suborning the Constitution in an effort to make their job easier.
Worst, it now appears that many courts (reminiscent of the Get Tough, Law and Order days of Tricky Dick Nixon) are now affording Law Enforcement Agencies ever more power and authority, while holding them ever more "Harmless" and providing them with "Immunities" they do not deserve.
Lastly, I continue to question: IF these SWAT teams are operating on solid ground and not abusing their authority, WHY oh WHY must they [COWARDLY] hide their identity by covering their face with masks; something only Terrorist and perhaps, Armed Robbers do?
“I believe the idea of SWAT is to save an innocent two year old from a kidnapping situation or a hostage event”
yes but those situations are exceedingly rare and are insufficient to justify the expense. So police departments look to expand the use of SWAT to keep em busy.
Also, police departments seem to pick the most dangerous time/place to arrest people. Which results in more violence, injuries, and deaths on both sides of the equation.
IMHO, if a local county or town type police don’t have the crime numbers to keep up with the cost of a SWAT team, then get rid of them. They can still use the state police SWAT team. Actions have consequences. People will be outraged enough to start questioning the need, tactics etc... and then the public opinion nightmare will result. In short, I think the local police agencies “need” community support. Without it, their jobs become much more difficult with pay raises etc..
“Unfortunately, to the unsuspecting homeowner—especially in cases involving mistaken identities or wrong addresses—a raid can appear to be nothing less than a violent home invasion, with armed intruders crashing through their door. The natural reaction would be to engage in self-defense. Yet such a defensive reaction on the part of a homeowner, particularly a gun owner, will spur officers to employ lethal force.”
Bingo. We have a winner. This is exactly what would happen to me. I am not a criminal. I always have a gun on me or near me while home. If they come crashing into my home I will start shooting, and I will surely be a dead man with the firepower they posess.
This SWAT issue has got to be dealt with. We are talking life or death. Their mistakes should not be easily dismissed. If I make a mistake at work it can be fixed. You cannot bring an innocent man back from the dead.
Unbelievable....
Sue the invading force (SWAT or not) AND the judge approving the excessive force!
Marshall Mcluhan, “The Medium is the Message: An Inventory of Effects (1967)” made the point that if you have it you will use it, just because you have it.
They have it and they are using it just because they have it.
Why? Because they can.
Welcome to boot on the face time (tip o the hat to Orwell).
There is a sick symbiotic relationship between the federal law enforcement agencies and local police dept.
The feds shovel “war on drugs” and “war on terror” funding at the local PDs, and get them hooked on this stream of money and equipment.
In return, the local SWAT serves as a force multiplier for the FLEAs when they need extra muscle in that jurisdiction. In this way, just a small squad of feds can call on the services of a much bigger local SWAT team when they want to conduct a raid in force.
It’s how the USA is evolving a “virtual national police force,” something our founding fathers dreaded.
Well, there goes my dream of starting up a Privateer/Security Contractor business...
A judge is a law student who marks his own examination papers. H. L. Mencken ... No judge will ever find against another judge for this sort of crap. It won't end UNTIL the individual JBTs who participate in these home invasions are found CRIMINALLY liable for their actions. And don't hold your breath for that happening.
Closest I know of came in 2006 in Atl. An Atlanta police thug squad raided the house of a 92 year old woman kind of on a whim. Shot her and then according to standard police procedure let her bleed to death while they "secured the premesis" ie faked the scene. At first they claimed she shot at them and that a "confidential informat" had given them the information. Turned out they made the whole informant thing up. ALso turned out that the shots supposedly fired by the 92 yo were actually fired by the police later to make it look as though she shot at them. Later they changed their stories. Now the only reason that anyone got in trouble was that the officers who did the shooting were white and their victim was black, and the Atlanta city government is overwhelmingly black. Even so the worst that happened is that the murderers were charged with "violating oath of office" and got a couple of years in jail. Never charged with murder, or home invasion.
1st note to self: The medium is the “mAssage”, not “mEssage”.
2nd note to TM: Good post, appreciate the clarity and definition you give to this.
I've since one good researcher call such a militarized police force the same as a "standing army" as it was known to the Founders.
Yes, it’s a virtual standing army to be used at federal direction against the citizens of the USA.
Here is another critical aspect of this to understand. When the city hall bean counters ask the chief of police why they are spending millions on a SWAT team that was only used 20 times last year, what will happen next year?
The SWAT team will be used 200 times next year, even with no increase in actual crime. They will shoot cats out of trees. Anything to justify the continued large budget. It’s a feedback loop.
Same here from a conservative Florida Vet (era only, no SEA service).
Two things trouble me above all else: The casual employment of these teams for routine activities. Why have fed agents or police if their jobs do not also include routine duties? Why not make everyone a SWAT officer because that is where this seems to be going. Second, the face masks. Where the hell are we, in some south american third world nation? Face masks, I don’t get it.
New saying: When seconds count, the police are minutes away but when no crime is ongoing, swat can be there in one second.
SWAT is nothing more than a black hole to throw good taxpayers money down, but it does make a lot of small penJJJJ cops feel manly, that and them punching their wives around.
I see that before my first coffee I am more prone to typos.
One of my ancestors (or near ancestors) was involved with situation with British troops they were forced to quarter in their house, the husband complained to the town magistrate that the troopers would harass his wife and took a whole roast from her at bayonet point as she was preparing it to cook for the household.
Your local ELECTED Sheriff is supposed to protect his county constituents from crap like this.
If you haven’t, send him a letter informing him of this duty.
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