This whole militarization on police started with the Reagan and GHW Bush administration... who dropped loads of surplus military gear on the police.. to conduct the 'War' on Drugs.
The problem is when you dress a policeman up in military gear with an automatic weapon and Armoured Vehicle backing him up.. he will tend to act more like a soldier than a policeman and they are markedly different, in many ways opposite, things. The modern training of police reinforce that combat personna.
The result, both in situations of protest and normal police work, produces a posture of confrontation, overwhelming retaliation, provocation and escalation all of which you saw in the Ferguson Police Dept.'s handling of the situation before it was removed from them and given to the Missouri Highway Patrol.
It inflames situations rather than defuses them.. which should be the objective of REAL police work. Remove the provocation, use some flexibility and tact, and in most case situations will resolve themselves peacefully as we saw last night.
AND
The Ferguson Police now say that the victim, Thomas Jackson, MIGHT have been involved in a 'strongarm' robbery prior to the shooting, stealing a pack of cigars.. which was the reason that he was stopped in the first place.
'Strongarm' robbery usually refers to 'snatch and run' shop lifting without a weapon or resort to violence. Even if this is true.. and at best Thompson would only be a suspect when stopped.. the use of deadly force, which is only permissable when the officer of others life is threatened, would not be warranted.
It essentially changes nothing if the numerous eyewitnesses description of an execution of an unarmed man is confirmed.
