THE MILITARIZATION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT
BY LAUREN BATTEN
The Pacific Council recently hosted a webcast discussion with Mandy Smithberger of the Project on Government Oversight’s Center for Defense Information and David Alan Sklansky of Stanford University’s Criminal Justice Center on the national debate around law enforcement. The discussion was moderated by the Honorable Gabriel P. Sanchez, Associate Justice in the First District Court of Appeal, Division One, who joined the discussion in his personal capacity only.
Here are takeaways from the discussion:
Sklansky pointed out that SWAT teams, originally intended for extraordinary circumstances, hostage situations, and bomb threats, have increasingly been used in the war on drugs, representing mission creep. He also talked about 1033 programs, in which the federal government provides surplus military equipment to police departments, funding their militarization. This, he said, represents a “profound shift to the opposite of community policing.”
“Police training is aimed at making police officers think of themselves as warriors,” he said. “Officers probably hear about the importance of having a warrior mindset and a command presence almost daily. They’ve adopted the General James Mattis quote: ‘Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet.’ Warrior culture, rather than a community mindset, is a problem.”
Smithberger said aspects of white supremacy have been embedded in policing which undermines community policing. She pointed out that the 1033 programs have poor oversight and accountability. “In ‘testing’ 1033, a fake police department with a fake address was able to get about $1 million of equipment,” she said. “1033 needs to be significantly curtailed, and now is an appropriate time to pause this program and make sure it’s achieving the goals it should be, because right now it’s making our communities more unsafe. Communities should not be seen as battlespaces.”
“The militarization for the police can be traced to the very language of the ‘war of drugs,’” Sklansky said. “When we called it a war and called for it to be treated as a war, we facilitated the use of the mindset, tactics, and equipment of the military.”
“Police need to be held accountable and need to be good custodians of the rule of law,” Smithberger said. “Impunity for abusing citizens is undermining police legitimacy and their ability to fulfill their public service mission of protecting neighbors. When the public doesn’t feel served you need to reexamine how you’re acting and see what changes can be made.”
“We need to show police departments a better way and pursue community policing rigorously,” Sklansky said.
“Police unions have been obstacles to reform,” Smithberger said. “Minneapolis is a particularly discouraging example. The mayor banned warrior training, and the police union responded by offering to fund that training for any officers interested in receiving it.”
Watch the full conversation below:
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The views and opinions expressed here are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Pacific Council.
