A qualitative study exploring : police militarization effect on the police-community relationship

Abstract

There is limited research conducted on increased militarization of civilian law enforcement and its effect on the social relationship between the police and the community it serves. This study uses qualitative phenomenological research with thematic analysis to better understand the police militarization's effect on the police-community relationship. Since their origin, the police have had military characteristics (Lieblich & Shinar, 2018). Since the 1980s, police militarization has increased in civilian law enforcement agencies (Bickel, 2013). "Peter Kraska, Professor, and Chair of Graduate Studies and Research in the School of Justice Studies at Eastern Kentucky University estimates the increase in SWAT team use from 1980 to 2000 to be about 1,500 percent" (Bickel, 2013). Police officers progressively resemble military units instead of civilian law enforcement (Lieblich & Shinar, 2018). It is becoming commonplace for a militarized police response to occur, which has diminished the public trust of law enforcement (Mummolo, 2018). The war on terrorism and drugs has led policymakers toward a dangerously aggressive style of policing (Balko, 2013). A review of the literature on this topic illustrates that police encounter critical and challenging tasks. The Defense Logistics Agency, 1033 Program through the Department of Defense, provides surplus military equipment and weapons to local police (Defense Logistics Agency (n.d.). This qualitative research investigates the police militarization phenomenon and its effect on the social relationship between the police and the community it serves.