Law Enforcement, Community, and Military Tactics: What’s the Conflict?

Room A, Hirsch Hall

Local law enforcement is a critical community service, and the expense of maintaining a modern and effective police force can be substantial in relation to local resources. At the same time, military equipment, SWAT teams, and aggressive search and seizure tactics have been called into question by the recurring loss of innocent life and Fourth Amendment concerns attendant to the use of overwhelming force. This panel will consider the funding mechanisms available to police and sheriff departments for equipment and capital investments, the incentives these revenues create, and the conflicts between community trust and the atmosphere of counter-insurgency which military style raids engender in marginalized communities.