Complex matter. Just some points.
All police agencies are "paramilitary".
This paper is from the Cato Institute, read Libertarian. Libertarians hate law enforcement at all levels.
A warrant can not be obtained based only or mainly on an anonymous informant.
I didn't realize that pepper spray and tear gas(non lethal)were signs of the militarization of a pd.
Cops have to use crooks as informants because criminals aren't likely to tell a pastor or local businessman what their plans are.
Civilian review boards are bad. The people on them are usually grossly ignorant, and many have political agendas.
There may be too many SWAT teams, but I won't take Cato's word for it.
SWAT teams should never be used for "routine" anything. Of course, there are hundreds of dead cops that were conducting "routine" duties when they were murdered.
I agree that drugs should be legalized, but only after society and the courts stop letting people off of the hook for criminal activity committed while they were stoned. "It's not their fault. It was the drugs" is a refrain commonly heard and accepted in court.
When I started as a cop over 30 years ago when you lost a fight you just ended up with your butt kicked, and pride damaged. Before I retired, every cop knew that if he lost a fight he stood a good chance of being murdered. Times have changed.
I don't at all think that's really the case. IMO the libertarian position instead is that the "rule of law" is a prerequisite for individual freedom. However it would be safe to say that libertarians hate law enforcement when it is used to destroy the rule of law, which is closer to the point of the article.
Statistics show that you and your friends are wrong in that assumption.
Policemen Killed in Line of Duty (includes fatal traffic accidents)
What is your rationale for wanting drugs legalized?