have some deep emotional problems. I also read an article here over the weekend about how white supremacists have been infiltrating PD through out the country. Both of these things I think goes a long way in explaining the recent militarization of PD's and the viciousness with which they attack minorities.

As a combat vet myself, I really don't like seeing these guys doing this. Consider just three of the symptoms of PTSD: Hyper-reactivity (jumpiness), hypervigilance, and flashbacks.

My own condition was made very clear to me by a couple experiences early on.

Just after getting back to the States, I visited a state park with redwood trees with relatives in California. A pine cone fell and landed behind me. I hollered "Frag!" and dove over a log lying on the ground.

Then some months later, when I was back in school, I was standing outside a classroom talking with a couple of other students and our sociology professor. The class bell sounded right over our heads. I hit the floor, and felt very sheepish as I picked myself back up.

There is no way in hell I would want someone like me running around armed and trying to "protect society."

Our kids coming back need gentle and compassionate care. They do not need jobs with so many cues that evoke all the old combat responses.

Actually, in my day, I think it was a lot more common for discharged MP's to enter civilian police work than it was for combat vets. That was probably a good thing.

your honest reply I hope you can overcome these problems if you have not done so already.

including the POST OFFICE. Where there are federal funds involved, or in the case of the USPS, while it runs like a private business and gets no money from the government, it still has federal hiring rules. you get those priorities

But vets are hardly even close to the majority of police academies. In San Diego, yes PERF looked into it, which is a military town, ergo we tend to have higher numbers in the force than in small towns that are NOT tied to the military, we have 30% of the force that is former military, and NOT all of them are from combat arms either.

Stop blaming the vets, this is an internal culture problem that started to develop actually with the war on drugs, but really got bad after 911, or rather it matured into it's current form. Cops see themselves as soldiers on the front lines. In fact, veterans are least likely to do that. Again, that is also a constant finding from PERF, not just for my local department.

Read this.

The Rise of the Warrior Cop

when they are broken, some are power hungry and want to dominate those who they see as inferior and those Vets imo are drawn to law enforcement. I'm sorry but don't think that is too far fetched to be seen as a problem. Sure police see themselves as soldiers, and why wouldn't they want to since we fawn over those who serve. Everybody wants to be a hero and the Pentagon's biggest recruitment tool is the American media and the people themselves these days. All people are different and their motives and desires are only know to themselves. We as a society should not label people heroes or thugs just because their professions or by their status in life.

sorry to deflate that idea of yours, but I used to believe this was a fact. It is not. MOST POLICE FORCES are well under 25 percent of the force being former military and most who do, do NOT come from combat arms.

The problem is cultural and the militarization of the police, ironically, is fought by vets who know what it is to be a soldier. Many of these former service members are actually a brake to the boys with toys at SWAT...

I gave you one of the BEST references in the field. You want some academic writing on this as well?

Take it with the ACLU who did not find VETS to be the issue either

https://www.aclu.org/issues/criminal-law-reform/reforming-police-practices/police-militarization

And if you are really interested, read this document

https://www.aclu.org/feature/war-comes-home

Suffice it to say, aping the military (which is the problem) does not mean they are drawing from the military that much. There is a reason for that... you do not want officers who come into the academy ALREADY with PTSD. Why a lot of the service members who actually make it through to law enforcement are NOT from combat arms.

Suffice it to say, PTSD is an issue with American policing as well, so pray tell me why would the local PD have to deal with that with a recruit?

Look, I know people want to blame the 1 percent who serve... but out of that 1 percent the vast majority are not trigger pullers, and the vast majority moves on to CIVILIAN JOBS that have none to do with paramilitary organizations such as fire and police.

Five Hot Jobs for Ex-Military Personnel

http://www.military.com/veteran-jobs/career-advice/military-transition/hot-jobs-for-former-military-personnel.html

Police Officer
Former military personnel hold a special place in the heart of police department recruiters across the U.S. The qualities of a great police officer are virtually identical to those of a great soldier: both have a desire to serve their country and community and protect people and their rights. A career in law-enforcement may appeal to those with military service due to its similarities with military structure and practices.

Because vets are in such high demand, many police departments offer hiring perks, including extra points on the entrance exam, an age deduction from the maximum age limit, GI Bill benefits, retirement perks and more.

Perhaps this is just recruitment propaganda, I don't know but the other article from Military.com I posted stated that they don't know the percentage of ex military in the police forces across America.

it is what it is.

The DOJ also disagrees with them.

That site is telling people you can go into police. Yup, you can apply, that does not mean jack or shit, or that you will be able to make it even to the interview process.

By the way, go look at this report.

http://media.nbcbayarea.com/documents/cops-w0756-pub.pdf

I will not even bother with my own coverage of the issue. I am giving you a horse's mouth.

i will check it out.

IMHO

the incidents.

it is not well advertised, similar to the case of former military members involved in Blackwater and the murders in Iraq. I did find a couple of interesting articles though.


Military to Police Force: A Natural Transition?

Unlike many veterans who leave military service with no idea where their next job is coming from, Star Cazador had it all figured out -- what she would do, where she would do it, and how much she would like it. Taking a cue from fellow Marines who sought careers in law enforcement after discharge, Cazador, who grew up in San Jose, applied to the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office. It seemed to her like a natural transition.
"There is a huge comfort level," said Cazador, who served in the Marines from 2005 to 2009 and is now a Santa Clara County sheriff's deputy. "In the academy my best friends were other prior military. We knew exactly how each other's brains worked. We could just look at each other. We didn't even have to communicate."


http://www.military.com/veteran-jobs/search/law-enforcement-jobs/military-transition-to-police-force.html


and this one

How our police became soldiers (and how we can change them back)

Back in June, Seattle resident Oscar Perez Giron committed the most minor of crimes, and ended up dead.

When fare enforcement officers approached 23-year-old Giron and his two companions on the light rail and asked for proof of fare payment, they could only produce two valid ticket stubs.

The officers ordered them off the train at the next stop, and detained them on the platform, calling for backup from the King County Sheriff. Giron tried to run. A scuffle ensued. He grabbed a gun from his backpack.

A King County Sheriff’s deputy shot Giron, fatally wounding him.

This sort of incident is becoming more and more common in Seattle, as it is around the country.

But our city has comparatively little crime, and an enviably minuscule number of homicides each year.

Last year we topped out at 29 homicides. The killer in six of those incidents was a law enforcement officer.

How did we get here, to a point where more than 20 percent of murders are at the hands of the very police who are supposed to protect us?

The ongoing confrontation in Ferguson, Missouri has a lot of people pointing fingers at the ‘militarization’ of local police forces.

Has over-reliance on heavy equipment, coupled with a military mentality that frames citizens as threats, rather than allies, turned our local cops into killers?

“A lot has to do with training. We are taught skills to survive,” said Retired Lieutenant Commander and Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) member Diane Goldstein. “There is a lot of controversy within law enforcement about the shift from community policing to a more military model.”

“We have to stop the police brutality. You just can’t kill anybody, period,” said Marcus Mitchell, standing in front of the United States Wester Washington District Court on Saturday. (Photo by Lael Henterly)
“We have to stop the police brutality. You just can’t kill anybody, period,” said Marcus Mitchell, standing in front of the United States Wester Washington District Court on Saturday. (Photo by Lael Henterly)
Of course the Andy Griffith, community police officer ideal never really existed (especially not for people of color). But in cities like Seattle, Goldstein says there was a big shift in the 1980s and 90s that began as a side effect of the drug war.

Nestled along the Canadian border, and speckled with international ports, Western Washington was identified early on as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), and has thus been a long time beneficiary of federal programs aimed at culling drug trafficking.

It’s also home to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, leading to a substantial ex-military population, many of whom transition into law enforcement.

“Many police are former military and some even go from military jobs directly to local municipal police positions,” explained local activist and cop watcher Drew Hendricks. “The difference is usually articulated in use of force roles; soldiers shoot to kill, police shoot to eliminate the threat.”

http://seattleglobalist.com/2014/08/20/seattle-police-militarization-ferguson-shootings/28591

wanted to get the free education. I have not seen him in years - often wonder if he is okay. Four years is a long time to be in active combat.

point since many young people do not have the money to get a formal education and are "funneled" to enlist so to get the funds for a proper education. Many kids have told me this is the main reason they joined. In a way it could be considered a middle, lower class draft so to say.

The militarization of police forces is not a good thing IMO.

my use of the word root was misplaced.

cities.

They are trained to view civilian populations as the 'enemy'.

Imo, that should disqualify them from being cops. They are two entirely different career choices. Or used to be.

serious, people need to get over this obsession and understand where the problem started. It got worst after 911. I would say that day, but it started well before that.

We were not at war by the way.

You may well like the paramilitary structure of the police force as well. Although you will be forced to interact with many who don't know and/or don't care for the rigid structure of military life. That can create a cultural issue where they may not be able to relate with each other.