Police Militarization: Understanding the Perspectives of Police Chiefs, Administrators, and Tactical Officers

The increased militarization of the police in the United States has been a topic of controversy for decades, brought to the public eye in notable events such as the Los Angeles Police Department’s use of battering rams in the 1980s and the siege of the Weaver family at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, in the 1990s, among others. The issue of police militarism has been back at the forefront of criminal justice policy discussions in the wake of the militaristic police response to the protests that took place after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014. This book examines the issue of militarization in a post-Ferguson environment from the perspective of those inside policing.

Drawing from a variety of data―including historical analysis of newspaper articles to examine the use of firearms in policing; original data from police respondents attending the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Academy in Quantico, Virginia; interviews with police chiefs and tactical officers regarding their direct experiences; and a sample of National Academy attendees reporting on the deployment of patrol rifles in policing―this work provides a nuanced look at police militarization that will inform future conceptual discussions and empirical research into the phenomenon. Considerations identified for police policy-makers include politics, media, leadership, and marketing. These themes are explored in detail, suggesting multiple dimensions, both theoretical and empirical, to better understand policing and policy, making this book an excellent resource for students, scholars, and professionals in law enforcement, political science, and public administration.

Scott W. Phillips is a full professor in the Criminal Justice Department at SUNY Buffalo State. He earned a PhD from SUNY Albany, and his research focuses on empirical examinations of police decision-making, police attitudes, and police culture. His works have appeared in the Journal of Criminal Justice, Police Research and Practice, Criminal Justice Policy Review, Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management, and the International Journal of Police Science and Management, Policing & Society. Phillips has worked as the Futurist Scholar in Residence with the Behavioral Science Unit at the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Academy in Quantico, VA.