The Ferguson, Mo. crisis is producing many elements to a growing crisis of confidence and trust.
One of them involves the militarization of police departments. Yes, this one is immensely troubling.
As one who supports police officers and law enforcement generally, I am appalled by what I’m learning about how some departments have assumed military-like presences in their communities. The Ferguson PD’s response to the reaction to Michael Brown’s shooting death looks like an extreme example of overreaction.
Is this what we want our police departments to become? Do we want them to present themselves to the community that officers take an oath to “serve and protect”?
I shudder at the thought.
National Public Radio had an excellent report this morning on the subject. It brought up several key elements, such as how cops too often are outgunned by bad guys armed with automatic weapons. Police departments obtain surplus military equipment — such as armored personnel carriers, for crying out loud — from the Defense Department.
I don’t have a particular problem with cops using stout weaponry when the need presents itself. There always should be discretion and sound judgment brought to bear, though, when police officials decide to deploy the heavy stuff against citizens.
I’m not for one second saying we should disarm our cops, turning them into camp counselors with badges. They need to protect themselves against the roughest of the rough customers they occasionally face.
This discussion, though, is a worthy one. Let’s have it and let’s keep it intelligent and thoughtful.