Balko Report on SWAT Teams : Dispatches from the Culture Wars

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Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of Michigan Citizens for Science and co-founder of The Panda's Thumb. He has written for such publications as The Bard, Skeptic and Reports of the National Center for Science Education, spoken in front of many organizations and conferences, and appeared on nationally syndicated radio shows and on C-SPAN. Ed is also a Fellow with the Center for Independent Media and the host of Declaring Independence, a one hour weekly political talk show on WPRR in Grand Rapids, Michigan.(static)

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Balko Report on SWAT Teams

Category: Law
Posted on: July 17, 2006 4:41 PM, by Ed Brayton

Radley Balko's long-awaited report on the militarization of local police departments, and the resulting tragedies, is now available on the Cato website. It's titled Overkill: The Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids in America. You can download the full text in PDF format, or purchase a copy in book form. It's a frightening report, detailing the numerous tragedies that have resulted from botched raids by these paramilitary units.

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Thanks for the heads up. I am very excited and will read his report when I get home tonight. This is a subject that I find more frightening than the ridiculous buildup of presidential powers. I think we have crossed the threshold where enough Americans are waking up that this executive debaukle is likely to end soon. Whereas the problems of paramilitary buildup within civilian law-enforcement is largely ignored and even applauded by most Americans. If the media has been quiet about the excesses of the bush regime it has been entirely silent about this subject. People somehow equate increased police powers with fighting crime, they don't seem to understand that this is a more direct infringement of everybodies rights than executive misdeeds.

Posted by: Treban | July 17, 2006 8:05 PM

I had never thought much about SWAT teams but have viscerally reacted with revulsion whenever I catch video of a SWAT team in action. They always evoke images of the SS or the KGB in action.

Posted by: Keanus | July 17, 2006 10:10 PM

How's this for ridiculous: SWAT Team Raids Gay Gym in Albuquerque. Their crime? Selling alcohol without a license.

Posted by: Ben | July 18, 2006 6:34 PM