Description
Activity 4: Militarization of Police (100 points)
Your Activity responses should be both grammatically and mechanically correct and formatted in the same fashion as the Activity itself. If there is a Part A, your response should identify a Part A, etc. In addition, you must appropriately cite all resources used in your response and document them in a bibliography using APA style. (100 points) (A 4-page response is required.)
Worrall, your textbook author, discusses police partnering with third parties and outside agencies. These third parties include corrections officers, probation officers, and parole officers. Police have also partnered with Police Paramilitary Units (PPUs), sometimes called SWAT teams, which are typically assigned “high-risk” duties such as warrant service, managing civil riots, responding to terrorism, and dealing with hostage situations and barricaded suspects. Kraska and Kappeler studied PPUs and found that, over time, their assignments have shifted to include proactive patrol work that includes suppressing gang violence, the illicit drug trade, and other crime problems.
See: Bieler, S. (2016). Police Militarization in the USA: The State of the Field. Policing, 39(4), 586-600. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ashworth.idm.oclc.org/docview/1844295373?accountid=45844
Suppose that, for some time, you are an officer assigned to suppress gang violence and the illicit drug trade that accompanies gang presence. Your supervisor comes to you and informs you that moving forward you will be working in tandem with a SWAT team. You and your team are issued body armor, Kevlar helmets, camouflage, and an assortment of military hardware and equipment. Anti-gang measures have been taken in your community and you believe they are working. You also believe that your team has been making strides with members of the community who also want to eliminate gang violence and drugs. You fear that the presence of the SWAT team, as well as the shift to camouflage attire and the use of military equipment, will erode the trust you’ve worked so hard to build. Before preparing your answer, please read the following article:
Then locate one scholarly article that supports the militarization of police, and one that sides with the ACLU blog above. If possible, locate an article that discusses the impact of PPUs on gang violence and the illicit drug trade. Present whatever empirical data and research findings you gather to your supervisor.
