The family of that girl who shot at a SWAT officer during a pre-dawn raid on her home is saying she thought it was a burglar and not police. Hard not to give that claim some credence. When police start using the same tactics as violent home invaders, how do you tell the difference?
The fact is, these no-knock raids and dynamic entries do little but escalate the potential for violence and militarize the police. What’s more, the number of botched SWAT raids where innocents are hurt or killed is alarming. The head of Dallas’ SWAT team has said time and again he wants to cultivate a “warrior mindset” among his officers. Think about that for a minute. The job of a warrior is to kill his enemy. The job of a police officer is to look at everyone — yes, even suspects — as citizens who have rights that must be respected. When you try to blend the two, what could possibly go wrong?
