The unspoken reasons for tactical evolution in law enforcement
Following the Ferguson unrest in 2014 numerous media articles with sinister titles such as “New SWAT Documents Give Snapshot of Ugly Militarization of Police” and “Obama: U.S. Cracking Down on ‘Militarization’ of Local Police” painted a picture of a law enforcement community out of control, hell bent on upholding the rule of the land through tactics akin to martial law. In addition to the media barrage, law enforcement also faced an onslaught of political hearings and speeches held to question the image of police in the United States in the 21st century.
In order to understand the significant changes in law enforcement posture over the past twenty years it is important to examine why the image has changed, and examine the seminal moments that led police to the summer of 2014:
North Hollywood Bank Robbery — February 28, 1997. Los Angeles Police Officers encountered two heavily armed bank robbers decked out in full body armor. The suspects fired more than 1,100 rounds at police officers injuring eleven officers, and seven civilians. After the shootout L.A.P.D. officials were heavily criticized in the media for not having the necessary equipment to return effective fire. Following the gunfight many departments across the United States began to upgrade their patrol rifle programs and invested more in tactical teams.
Birmingham, Alabama — June 17, 2004. Three senior Birmingham officers were gunned down while serving a warrant on an assault. The officers were met with fire from SKS assault rifles. A fourth officer was critically wounded. Officers at the scene lacked the ability to defend themselves and return fire. The standard patrol uniform body armor and firearms they carried were no match for the SKS rifle.
Oakland, California — March 21, 2009. Following the murder of two Oakland officers on a traffic stop the suspect in the shootings fled into a nearby apartment. Two additional Oakland officers were killed when the suspect opened fire with an SKS assault rifle. During the initial traffic stop officers were defenseless. The deaths of the four officers shook the law enforcement community in the United States and departments around the country began a renewed push towards training courses in officer safety.
Lakewood, Washington — November 29, 2009. Only 8 months following the Oakland shooting four officers were killed while having coffee in Lakewood, Washington. While the suspect in the killings was not heavily armed, officers throughout the nation that had routinely utilized public spaces for meetings during their shift were encouraged to be vigilant about their surroundings and hyper-aware of those who may be intent on harming them.
Numerous other officer fatalities have occurred over the past twenty years which have caused law enforcement officers to change their tactics and demeanor when encountering citizens. Each time an officer is killed in the line of duty the wall between the public and the police grows taller. When viewed through the lens of the events noted in this article it is easy to understand why police officers look less like ‘Officer Friendly’ in today’s environment.
