A team of camouflaged and masked men, armed with M-16 rifles, grenade launchers, silencers and more, briskly enter a building. In front sits a 9-foot tall armoured and mine-resistant combat vehicle, ready to charge in on a second’s notice. Is this a scene from a military onslaught in some Afghan village? No. This is actually a police SWAT team entering the premises containing alleged illegal activity.
In both the U.S. and Canada, the number of heavily-armed SWAT teams has skyrocketed since the 1980s. Police departments are arguing that they have no choice but to be better armed to stay in step with the criminals who are arming themselves more heavily every day. This despite the fact that, today, crime has fallen to its lowest levels in a generation. The drug gang wars have wound down, and despite current fears, the number of domestic terrorist attacks has declined sharply from the 1960s and 1970s.
What is more worrisome is that SWAT teams are increasingly being employed for what once were routine police activities, such as domestic disputes and liquour inspections. In addition, local departments are choosing to employ armed officers and equipment more frequently in order to justify any impact on their budgets. More and more, recruiting material and videos are fixated on clips of officers storming into homes with smoke grenades and firing automatic weapons. Is this really the image of policing that one wants to convey to potential new recruits?
In Canada, SWAT teams are found mainly in larger cities and among federal and provincial agencies. However, in the U.S., they can even be found in towns with fewer than 25,000 people. This is primarily because of the federal military-transfer program started in the early 1990s. The program makes free surplus military equipment available to municipalities which they could not otherwise afford. Even some local police chiefs are questioning the need for such heavy-duty equipment, noting the negative impact it very likely has on the department’s image and relationship with the public.
Unfortunately, recent shooting events surrounding tragic police fatalities in both the U.S. and Canada have again naturally raised the issue over the safety of police officers. Yet, I think it highly unlikely that police chiefs would want to have their officers regularly patrolling in armoured vehicles through their neighbourhoods. SWAT teams have a legitimate purpose to serve, but not at the expense of the local beat cop. After all, with all due respect, we’re hopefully not living in war zones!
FROLITICKS 