The mid-summer clash between unarmed protesters and heavily armed police in Ferguson, Mo., sparked a renewed discussion on the militarization of domestic law enforcement. Critics were quick to lament the ubiquity of armored vehicles and semi-automatic assault weapons at the disposal of officers not just in Ferguson but throughout the nation.
Opening a discussion into the tactics and weaponry used by our nation’s law enforcement is laudable, but critics all too often fail to inject even a modicum of perspective and context into the conversation. Instead, critics often rely upon specious anecdotes designed to hyper-emotionalize the issue and paint an entire profession as having devolved into a motley crew of adrenalized brutes.
This lack of perspective robs the public of the facts required to make informed decisions concerning the policing practices of their respective law enforcement agencies.
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