Issue 623 Impact of A national Police Force June 30, 2015

There were approximately 88,000 police raids in 2014.  This is an outstanding number that mostly revolves around raids against non-violent offenders who own small quantities of pot.  These raids are conducted in full riot gear, and place many people in danger including the officers.  Now, with the possibility of police becoming militarized, can you imagine them in full gear all the time?  Are you able to see them as a member of your community if they carry an M-16 assault rifle on their back as part of a routine patrol?  These are a symptom of a militarized and partially nationalized police force.  But what would it look like if they were fully nationalized?  Let's discuss.

What it would look like:

1) Military style:  For one, there will be no traditional uniforms we are used to.  A nationalized/militarized police force would be outfitted with nothing but military equipment.  They would drive light tanks and armored vehicles around and pack heavy weapons reminiscent of what they looked like during the manhunt for the Boston Marathon Bombers with machine guns locked and ready.

2) They follow Federal, not local laws:  Whatever local laws are enforced by your police, kiss them goodbye.  The federal government would decide what to enforce, and how to enforce it rather than localities and States making their own laws anymore.  As such, bureaucrats in the federal government decide law and thus determines your innocence by default.  You essentially lose all control over what laws are followed.

3) Subject to political pressures:  The advantage of local control is that you have a multitude of police departments enforcing the law and thus our ability to compare the effectiveness of each department which protects them from political pressures of local politicians.  Once nationalized, we lose that and this results in politicians putting pressure on those who govern the police at the federal level to perform actions that may in fact violate the law or even ignore it, thus creating a hodgepodge of enforcement of laws and people either escaping justice or being unfairly arrested (think Watergate on steroids).

4) Becoming thuggish:  If nationalized, the police lose all checks and balances as cops can then do whatever they deem necessary to accomplish the job of policing.  So this means more illegal search and seizure, more illegal arrests with police writing warrants and not judges as per the Constitution.  They would be able to use any amount of force they deem necessary to do the job even if it is excessive.

Conclusion:  I do not want a national police force.  My Dad, and many of my family have served as police, and I do not want their service dishonored by turning our police into a bunch of government thugs (this is how I unfortunately see it turning out after a generation or two).  While it is for you to decide if there is merit in a central authority overseeing thousands of officers each and every day, I would still prefer the local patrol whom are my neighbors and friends any day of the week.