At the center of the whole "militarization" debate: A fundamental mistake

This is from the Facebook Page of Survive the Streets: A Page for Cops. Some of you do not participate on Facebook, so this is the whole piece.

Quote:

Quote: A follower, Paul, raised a good point. At the center of the whole "militarization" debate lies a fundamental mistake in the minds of those who believe police are becoming militarized. They are confusing gear with mission. It's true. Specialized police equipment is similar to modern military equipment. The type of war the military currently fights, though, is an urban style with a house to house, structure to structure approach with an embedded combatant. It is very similar to the type of confrontations police encounter, so the equipment is similar, or even the same in some cases. What remains fundamentally different, though, are the goals of law enforcement and the military. Despite what anti-cop propaganda tells you, the mission of police is to preserve the peace and enforce the law. The specialized equipment used by police allows them to do that with a greater degree of proficiency and safety for themselves, suspects, and the public at large. An honest assessment by us will reveal that there are cases in which that specialized equipment is utilized when it might not have been necessary or warranted, and mistakes are sometimes made with tragic outcomes. While few and far between and usually without any malice intended, such things do still happen. As a group, we must strive to achieve perfection. Despite the unachievable status of so lofty a goal, we should never stop trying to hit that mark. It is our duty to have intelligent discussion with those that do not understand why we need such equipment. Educating them on why and proving to them that we can judiciously use that equipment is unbelievably valuable for us. Before anyone throws out the "a lion doesn't concern himself with the opinions of sheep" quote, keep in mind that those sheep control the purse strings that allow us to have the equipment necessary to do our jobs. Their opinion matters, and only a fool would think otherwise. That's my rant for the day. Stay safe. Protect the flock. Hunt the wolf. -C-

Posted for education leading to understanding.

At the center of the whole "militarization" debate: A fundamental mistake