I believe the scariest part of the sheer police force today is that the entire system is against you. You defending yourself against an officer will not be tolerated, you will lose both in force (endless backup) and in court. that alone allows abuse of power. Officers saying "I was in fear of my life" has become a license to kill, look at that WW2 vet who placed his hand on an officers shoulder and got picked up and dropped on his head breaking his neck! the officer said he was in fear of his life and suffered no punishment. If you can completely overpower an 84 year old man who never even assaulted you, how are you physically in fear of your life?

The bottom line is police are supposed to be members of the community, not a military presence in our streets. This us vs them mentality of both the police and civilians will only make these types of situations worse.

I've just discovered @RadleyBalco today... because I'm watching this six years later. America is on fire

5 years later and still relevant

More of this kind of stuff please vice.

Who is here after the George Floyd protests?

Good stuff. Part of the reason I watch alternative media more and more like vice and the real news. These kinds of nuanced conversations on the mainstream media are reduced to either really superficial 5 minute segments or 10 minute shout fests.

"When you show up at a (peaceful) protest expecting violence, that tends to be self fulfilling." - Radley Balko

The discussion on the criminalization of poverty towards the end that really hit home for me. I once had my licenses suspended for over a year just because I couldn't afford to pay a "Drivers Responsibility Fee". I was fined $65 for not having my proof of insurance in the car at the time but then had to pay an additional $200, each year for two years, that could not be appealed, and could not receive an extension, and if it wasn't paid within 30 days your license was automatically suspended requiring an additional $150 reinstatement fee. In the end my $65 fine ended up costing $550. Was the purpose of the those extra fines to make the public safer and deter crime? No it was to fill the state coffers with money from the people who can least afford it. I was a young, married, white male with no kids who was just barely getting by on my full time job. I know there were people worse off than me who were caught in that same trap and the only people who benefited from "Drivers Responsibility Fee" program was the State Treasury.

This is such a timely post! Thanks VICE!

I should join the police and get military grade equipment without all the deployment risks and required training. Hah.

Who watches the watchers?

Good stuff as almost always from Vice, a very informative and mature conversation. The thing I love about this piece is how they try that little bit extra to be objective and really get the information across. I love for example the use of graphics to break the whole conversation up piece by piece, topic by topic. I know what's been discussed and I'm looking forward to the topics ahead. I know it's a simple tool, but it keeps things very objective and easy to understand, which is so important for such serious subject matter, there's almost a respect there for the subject matter that you don't get from mainstream news, maybe that's what sets Vice apart. well done.

At least this isn't "kids telling dirty jokes."

We spoke with Radley Balko, author of 'Rise of the Warrior Cop,' about the militarization of America's police force. Check out more VICE Meets here: www.vice.com/vice-meets

Very interesting thank you

This is top-tier journalism, wish Vice would get back to this

I'm pretty sure none of the officers in my county equip themselves with automatic small-arms and level III ballistic vests as part of the usual daily gear. Sure, they'll wear protective armor during a riot, but that's during...a riot... Hell, I've been on a ride along, and they seem like pretty nice folks with sufficient armament and equipment. It's weird; they have fancy new tasers yet half of their fleet cars require the driver to floor the gas pedal in order to do 40-50 mph...

Great Video!

The time skip buttons (on desktop view) were a great idea.

These aren't police. These are localized pmc's, some cant see the forrest for the trees these days.

This guy is very thoughtful and this piece in general is great.

The only constitutional law enforcement is a sheriff. The founders left policing to private citizens-and if there was something complicated like an investigation-they called up sheriffs. "A government is best when it governs the least, because the citizens discipline themselves"-Thomas Jefferson

The Mises institute did a lecture series on this about a year ago i think.

Give Radley Balko some fkn water! Damn

whys it out of sync

I listened to this whole ep. and I've been saying majority of what the guest was saying, now I have a better way of speaking about the topic at hand & getting my point across.

Local police is no longer to protect and serve, but to kill and ask questions later. Dang, America, what is happening to you :'(

I came here for the Paul Santisi damn it!

symptoms of a failed system

I remember watching the original Robocop film back in '87; great fun in that typically enjoyable dystopian sort of way and I thought "phew, glad we don't have anything like that on our streets." Sigh... :-(

I watched this and I feel like I just gained 100 smart points! Winning.

I bought his book. I liked it. Learned a lot about the police.

7 years later not much has changed.... we deserve better. We have to DEMAND better.

The Tree Of Liberty , Must be refreshed from Time to Time. With The Blood of Patriots an Tyrants..........."Thomas Jefferson"

VICE chose as their reporting Journalist, a hard ass. Dude looks like a cop. Paradoxically effective.

Were the cops at this event telling people in the audience to boo Radley Balko?

Hi there, It's interesting Video recess hum What's your opinion about it, guys !!

The bald guy in the thumbnail looked like Jim Norton. I want my view back!

Poor Kootra.

▶ Radley Balko on the Militarization of America's Police Force: VICE Meets: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/q7qHrJulz7rNhKs.html ~Pub Aug 28, 2014 via @VICE ++++ ▶ Connect @Peta_de_Aztlan ++++

We need to call in the military to deal with the police

Radley knows what he's talking about

Can someone please tell me how to spell the interviewers last name? I'm using this for a research paper

good bald guys talking about the bad bald guys

Radley Balko is speakin the truth.. Almost makes u think he grew up in the hood

Im no bleeding heart, but dude has some very very very very valid points.

Phenomenal presentation of policing and black, Native American, and Hispanic communities history and present.

well i'm glad i live in europe

Truth brotha!

Sir you are a genius... An active shooter situation will probably never happen in my town or local school/ shopping mall so we shouldn't have a swat resource to deal with such an incident.

That's just the Murickkkan way!

My little town, pop about 5,500 has a police dept that consists of a chief and three part timers. They asked for and received an mrap. They also have car-15's and full military kit, helmets, headsets, body armor tac vests and digital camo uniforms. WTF does my little town need all this for.

not entirely agree with the argument . Better equipped police force means better security for good guys.But training of police needs to be upgraded too.

This reminds me of the North of Ireland. Trust us, you don't want it to go there.

A good amount of those from academia along with policymakers have clashed with law enforcement since their work is more theoretical than practical; and since many aspects of law enforcement can be easy to critique without someone being in the situation. Radley Balko tells us very important perspectives and doesn't fit into such category as he is an academic but tells us the truth along with where the actual state of law enforcement has come down to. Policymakers and police are answering the protests and exposure of scandals with claims of wanting to return towards more community-oriented policing, changing the law enforcement selection process, and introducing body cameras. But none of these policies really attack the problem of how the system & culture puts law enforcement into a fearful mindset with preparation for militant responses; and none of these policies address other court laws & rulings which now give law enforcement power to operate like a military force. The American public remains strongly against militarization of law enforcement yet has allowed such to happen to a greater degree as well. Fear of threats to life have allowed some law enforcement players to get away with what would almost always be deemed unjustified had a person or even law enforcement officials in other jurisdictions done the same. There are literally cases where law enforcement players have claimed wrong look by the suspect, irregular motions during attempts to surrender, etc. have been used to justify officer involved shootings. So unreasonable are the law enforcement players sometimes that the District Attorney doesn't even proclaim innocence but that there isn't enough evidence to charge such person. The strong police unions then protect the person if the officials decide to take action. Radley Balko rightfully explains how law enforcement in many rural and poorer areas have pursued militarization techniques for more federal funding and since the searches & seizures from drug-related cases have meant huge revenues. This process isn't even judicial in practice as seized items can be held by law enforcement even without charges pending against the suspected person. Indeed, there are many cases where charges were never failed yet seized items didn't get returned along with cases where people's goods (such as cars) have been seized due to a friend or relative using minor amount of narcotics.

^positive feedback loop, just saying --> amazingly done !!

I agree, these are prime examples of abuse of power and law enforcement should not have any military grade hardware!!

There should be international police training and law to promote cooperation and equality.

Police officers should wear cameras at all times ( On duty ).

such a good book. freaking shocking and disgusting amounts of evidence backed police brutality cases as well as a history of these acts. its clearly most concerned with swat and military culture

I think there should be more militarization

Don't you think that all of you Americans have too much weapons. it's a militant society, thus it's a militant police.

The "militarization of police"is a bs thing of its self the only piece of kit that the police use that the military also use is "Ach helmet" "sometimes bdu's" Pvs 7s and 14s" 40mm launchers used by departments are not the same usually as the military's and the detraction devises or "flash bangs" are not the same as the military's and the police do on occasion have "Mraps" but all of these things a civilian can buy even though expensive any civilian with the right tax stamps and licenses can own these delicacies

I just can't believe police would think it o.k. to use force when force is not needed against citizens of their own country. Sad.

The main goal of the police is to make sure that people know that they are in control and you will do exactly as they say and want you to do no matter what, just because they have badge. They do this verbally and by verbal tone and by their mannerisms. They do not need to tell you what they say you di wrong and that goes right on down to the silliest things such as your brake light is out. Its as if they are looking for the littlest resistance from you and to provoke it so they can raise the bar to the next level. I believe they want confrontation ...its a thrill to tackle and cuff up a person and to do so with free reign and the backing of the township and state. It is disgusting and my daughter of 16 has seen this behavior and asked questions because she is confused. She had grown up believing police are good and there to help her if she needs but as she has gotten older and had experiences and watches what happens on TV has fears of what they truly are. What was I to say? Sadly its true what she sees and feels! All I could say to her is stay out of their way and do not talk to them under any circumstance no matter what. I told her she is to tell them she will only talk to me her Dad and that she wants him there and if they refuse or tell her anything other than they will get me that she does not talk to them period until I get there. Sad!

18 year old kid? You mean an adult.

Unlawfully assembled? I thought it was our constitutional right to assemble.

Book, radio ballad and movie needed----"The Fury of the Enraged Policeman" Alternative title "HELL 666 Cop Corporation"

"There was an 18 year old kid...." Wait, what? Oh yeah, I forgot. When convenient people will use words like kid or teenager in order to sway the way some events are viewed... Funny enough, 18 year old kids are able to join the military, vote, buy cigarettes, buy firearms and when they get in trouble, they are charged as adults. But yeah, _kid_ sure is the correct term to be using.

Every person I meet who still trusts the police seems completely insane to me.

I would never be pro police militarization, but have you seen the weapons these kids are carrying now?

i live in a small town in the midwest and the police here can frequently get out of hand. they use 3-5 units to pull over kids who were doing a few mph over the speed limit and yank them out of their car and search them and their car from top to bottom. but i have to admit that there have been several serious incidents in the past 5-10 years such as hostage situations, shootouts, and multiple murders so the fact that we have a swat team kind of makes sense but they shouldnt be harassing kids and wasting their time trying to bust people for smoking weed. we as the people need to get this shit under control before it goes even further.

Hank lost some weight

I want to join Law Enforcement and I dont know if I should buy this dudes book.

Nothing Good or Bad Last Forever

Obviously, this guy has never executed a search warrant on a drug dealer. You probably don't want to enter a dealers house holding a pistol when an AK is pointed at you. You got your 15 minutes, now go home.

I have seen two different sheriffs, times and states - say they need MRAPS because of returning mideast veterans with combat tactical and I.E.D. knowledge. to protect.themselves from them.

The first 5 minutes explains how our whole police force runs

Crime rates are down everyone. These guys aren't geared up because of crime; they're geared up because of bureaucracies. The rise of local police came about due to the Drug war, just like the rise of the FBI came about due to prohibition and bank robberies. What is eventually designed to be a task force to deal with a problem, increasingly becomes a jobs project, when the problem begins to decrease. The lesser the problem is, the more hype is needed to act as though the situation is getting worse.

Kent State! KENT STATE!

When Citizens trade Liberty for Security----------- They Receive Neither.....an Deserve None..........."Benjamin Franklin".......................

Are you in favor of militarization of the police, subordinate to the army, in the US ?

Stay tuned in America, there is much more to come.

I'm more than happy to support the police department.

"You dont aim a gun if you dont intend to pull the trigger" That's bullshit. I've been in the army, and it surely uses guns for intimidating potential hostiles, mostly when dealing with civilians\terrorists dilemmas.

Definition of Policing: To REGULATE, CONTROL, or keep in ORDER by or as if by means of POLICE. Definition of Peace Officer: A civil officer appointed to PRESERVE THE PUBLIC PEACE, as a sheriff or constable. Who would you rather have in your community, the police or a PEACE officer? Easy answer.

Just for some relative information, in Singapore, if you are a civil servant, you will get a higher/stricter sentence. Even more so if you are a police officer or in the army. I must point out that our servicemen comprises of conscripted men serving 2 years at a time alongside the career-opted officers. Ranks up to a certain level interweaves. Although enforced much more stringently on the career-opted individuals, the conscripted individuals depending on factors like the vocation and length of your service, the severity of the crime and rationalization. The justification for this was explained pretty simply, "you KNOW it was unlawful." If you are entrusted to enforce the law on theft and you get arrested stealing, why should you be treated the same as a civilian. The information and knowledge does not get erased and learnt every time you remove and don your uniform. Yes a stark difference between our countries would be the guns. I'm referring to the initial response and the accountability of the person. A common saying we have amongst Singaporeans, trailing from the civil service and now ingrained in our culture is, "whatever you do, don't get caught." This is usually mentioned to question the surety of the act that if exposed would accompany a high probability of incrimination. It assists in challenging our rational and beliefs. To comprehend the consequences and outweigh them as individuals. I've noticed over the years the explanations from similar cases that it's rarely a last resort. Due to the emphasis of a particular case before that the survival of the officer would be greatly increased if they had reacted with increased force, and the rhetoric would be emphasized increasingly onwards. Unfortunately, this is a underlying notion stemming from our youth. The competitiveness that began as a motivation for advancement manifested into a fear of failure. The explanations received settled from neutrality to absolutes limits. The middle ground is viewed as a sign of weakness. Individualism became a core belief concealed with public intent. A cyclic depression of fear instead of courage. Knowledge is viewed by most as unimportant, a waste of time. Ironically, it's the less informed typically complaining of the lack of time. Most proposals only stifles the immediate and some the intermediate repercussions. We must place larger emphasis on the mental foundations besides the physical limitations, while reducing the extremism in our language. History proves that most monumental instances is a by-product of fusion.

How many times have cops treated you wrong? How many times would you've been killed, robbed and raped had the cops not been there at all? It's all about proportions.

Never been a huge fan of the presenter Reihan Salam (he is often on Realtime with BIll Maher) but he makes very good listening and sets up a fantastic conversation here on VICE about how far the Militarizing of American Police has gone and will continue to move towards. Great job VICE setting up such a forum. Bravo. "I write in the hope and expectation that people read people with whom they disagree to challenge their settled views. Suffice it to say, this isn’t generally the case, but I’m happy to continue behaving as though it is, as it is true of enough people to justify the effort" Reihan Salam (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reihan_Salam)

I really don't think police behavior has changed over the last ten years, only now that EVERYONE has a camera. And now the police haven't been able to react and clean up their behavior fast enough for that.

You wouldn't have to have military police, if assault rifles weren't on sale in every corner gun store in America. The problem is the fact America has more guns than people in its country.

I've said this before if I was a police officer, hoping to keep the peace at a protest - Tempers run hot in situation like that - you can guarantee that I'm going show looking more like Iron-Man than a regular man. It's just how I am, I like being prepared.

Video looks nice digestion fetch What do you think, guys... !!!

I live about 4 hours south of Ferguson, in a town called Springfield, Missouri. I know you all want to hate the cops, and I can completely understand that, but the reason they act like they do, dress like they do, and are equipped the way they are is because our laws and public policies have allowed it. We are actually starting a community group to demilitarize our local police department, and I think you all should do the same, Go through city council, start petitions, if those don't work, then protests and public pressure should do the job! The federal government and state governments aren't going to do anything because it feeds the "Drug War Machine" and it is a whole entire economic market on its own, but when the people wake up and realize that the power lies with THEM, NOT the Bureaucrats in Washington, thats when we can fix this broken country. A government FOR the people, BY the people!

Interesting, but I don't 'buy' that soldiers are trained to kill people, in the sense, we should start 'respecting' life and not 'murder' and I'm sorry but 'war killing is still 'murder' albeit not premeditated

Criminalizing poverty, thats basically what they're doing. Lets take our fellow humans that are struggling the most in society, and really fuck with em, lets constantly give them fines for fuck all and then through them in jail when they can't pay. What a wonderfully caring and loving society the great U.S of A is.

Did I hear bayonets mentioned? Who the fuck uses bayonets? Mil or PD? Also, wasn't he one of the reporters that gave the officers address putting his family at risk. I interact with PD on a regular basis and have never seen any bias or militarization on they're part. Remember they are humans too and that it's just a job to them and want nothing more than to go home to their family.

One step closer to martial law.

A family member of mine showed me a link to a "successful raid" that he took part in: he's a cop, they used the local SWAT team to raid the house so they can go in after to sweep it. The suspects were clearly a couple of drug addict losers; a brother-sister combo and their friend. His excuse for the use of force was that they were suspected drug dealers and that they used the SWAT because "drugs equals guns." My god, what logic! I told him so there are 350 million guns in America, you could, using that logic, say that since there are 350 million Americans, that every house has the potential to have a gun in it. Thus justifying that ridiculous response for any matter. Don't worry, he didn't get it.