Are the police forces in the US too militarized?

[JulianWilliams]

The police forces in some countries, like the UK, don't even carry weapons. In the US however, the police forces seem to be very militarized in the way they are trained and equipped.
Are the police forces in the US too militarized, or am I just imagining things?

 

[Grumpy]

I too live in the UK where it's relatively rare to see an armed police officer anywhere.

I have visited the US and even live there for a couple of months a couple of years ago, and was amazed at how I would daily see cops walking round with guns in holdsters, and even, on occasions, armed police in assault gear and with rifles just walking the street as if that was totally normal.

I've watched some Fox News reports online about how many police forces are becoming militarized, and about how a lot of police forces are getting old army equipment left over unused from the Iraq & Afghanistan wars, which, to me, seems absolutely ridiculous. Why pay for a police force if they could just send the army out to patrol the streets?

 

[primalclaws1974]

I am American, and I think it is because so many citizens carry weapons. A large percentage is legal possession. Because the Constitution gives Americans the right to bear arms, many people scream for the right. My view is that it was a law enabled in a time that weapons were necessary for every day life. A gun got your food, defended you and your family from hostile white and Native Americans, and wild animals. There is a need to an extent to still protect yourselves, but if the law of the right to bear arms had been amended, the United States would not be a country of everyone carrying guns, and so much gun violence. This would mean there would be no need to have "militant" officers.

 

[Mackmax]

You're right, many policemen do carry guns, batons, tasers, and many other weapons. I honestly don't believe that their weapons are the problem as much as their training is. Police officers used to be trained to serve and protect, and used to be trained to shoot at an assailant's limbs. Nowadays many (not all, and not even most, but still a large amount) don't do that. Many police officers shoot to kill, and pull out their gun when they want to when they should only be pulling it out when they absolutely need to. Just look at all of the innocent children and young adults who have been killed by trigger-happy cops.
If we could change the training that police receive, and stop hiring corrupt cops, I definitely think that the cases of police brutality would decrease.

 

[Rainman]

You don't take a baton to a gun fight. Whether it's legal or not for people to walk around with weapons, criminals who have the intention of committing a crime will still have their weapons. The police for that reason must also go around armed. It's best to be prepared for the worst. If the gun laws were stricter though . . .

 

[tanker]

The murder rate in the USA is declining while the police seem to be getting more militarized. A lot of it has to do with government policy. The US government wants to get rid of surplus military vehicles by giving them to the police departments. Also USA is not too big on crime prevention, so a greater burdern falls onto the police.

 

[Shimus]

They are undoubtedly more militarized then is necessary at this stage in the world's life. However, this is not proportionate - the American people have access to way more "Rights" to "bear arms" then the little guns the cops get, minus their shotguns inside their cruisers. People around here carry everything man, from assault rifles to hand cannons. I feel that the more the situation gets rougher, the more they'd be keen to use martial law to stop everything. But in Britain or the UK or similar countries, the reason the forces aren't armed is because crime is relatively low in non-city areas, and they're on an island. We have so much more land to patrol and watch over here that I feel it warrants extra protection. However walking down the road in full army garb is a bid stupid and wow. They should just resell the products to fund the departments before cutting officers and positions.