The war on drugs is a primary driver for militarization of police in the US. To be fair, SWAT teams who raid drug houses often face heavily armed, violent criminals. There's a need -- sometimes -- for aggressive tactics. But the SWAT officers are far better trained than the regular police force who should not be engaged in this level of high risk, forced entry.
I've known SWAT officers and non-violent drug dealers who were both fundamentally decent people.
The problem can often be traced back to how police departments make up budget gaps. A large chunk of a department's budget comes from federal funding. The more drug related arrests, the more "war on drugs" money a department gets. This inadvertently enters a slippery slope where militarization on both sides is incentivized.
If local communities actually covered the full budget of a police department, the system would probably tend towards a more just and appropriate level of force.
I've known SWAT officers and non-violent drug dealers who were both fundamentally decent people.
The problem can often be traced back to how police departments make up budget gaps. A large chunk of a department's budget comes from federal funding. The more drug related arrests, the more "war on drugs" money a department gets. This inadvertently enters a slippery slope where militarization on both sides is incentivized.
If local communities actually covered the full budget of a police department, the system would probably tend towards a more just and appropriate level of force.