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Interesting commentary about the loyalty of the police during the upcoming unpleasantness.

It's also my bet that as the economy continues to crumble and othther social pressures worsen, there'll be a doubling, tripling, quadrupling increase in the numbers of private armed security personnel, ranging from licensed corporate security guards and bodyguards to mercenary security contractors in company and battalion-level strength.

Cross one of the folks in one such outfit, and you'll get to deal with them all. The choice of some police departments may be one to either let a couple of their lower level officers be strung up from a utility pole, or have the entire ball commence, to include multiple platoons of experienced and well-equipped combat veterans against squad-sized SWAT teams used to shooting unarmed folks in the wrong apartment or suspects already in handcuffs, along with being targeted day and night, in their stations, in their homes with their families and in between.

Two or there dead, or dozens. You figure out how long it'll take. Then, after that: cops get handguns only; anyone with a long weapon gets shot on sight, along with the mayor, the chief and a couple of city/county council members.

Why do you think SWAT cops like military-style uniforms and equipment so much? Having dishonered their own police uniforms and badges, they're hoping for undeserved respect and admiration from a public who increasingly see military or paramilitary forces as a more successful community protector than the corrupt and politicized bully cops who've failed us over the last few decades- and are getting worse.

I too, like many others have noticed the militarization of the police. The SWAT teams sort of make me think of South or Central American countries where the police and the military are often the same thing.

I think a tiny bit of it is actual need. For instance when I was fairly young, the police went up against some of the domestic terrorist groups like the SLA, Weathermen Black Panthers etc.

The reason they now all dress like ninja warriors may have more to do with the success of various military elite outfits which have rescued hostages such as Entebbe, one in Germany which I forget the details, The British SAS in London and so on.

These guys turned out to be really good at their job and everyone admired them. Naturally if you are chosen to be part of a “special” group in a police dept. you want to look just like those guys.

The one thing which bothers me about groups like the FBI hostage rescue teams is they do little hostage rescuing and a lot more killing people or groups which the government does not like.

I will have to admit if I was young again and had the chance, it would be fun to have an MP-5, Custom .45s (which someone else pays for), AR-15 etc. and dress up like an SAS man and wear bullet resistant armor etc.

The difference is I just could not knock down the doors of citizens homes based on what is often weak evidence and start shooting anyone who quite reasonably tries to arm them self against people breaking into their home.

“Why do you think SWAT cops like military-style uniforms and equipment so much? Having dishonered their own police uniforms and badges, they’re hoping for undeserved respect and admiration from a public who increasingly see military or paramilitary forces as a more successful community protector than the corrupt and politicized bully cops who’ve failed us over the last few decades- and are getting worse.”

You said a mouthful there. It used to be a police uniform was one of pride and respect and signified the civility of the nation and her people. It was something we all came to respect as a symbol of all of us.