Agency Correlates of Police Militarization: The Case of MRAPs

Abstract

In 2014, protests in Ferguson, Missouri (MO), and the subsequent law enforcement response, shined a light on police militarization-the adoption of military styles, equipment, and tactics within law enforcement. Since 1990, the U.S. Department of Defense has transferred excess military equipment to domestic law enforcement agencies via the federal 1033 program. This article examines transfers of mineresistant ambush-protected vehicles or MRAPs. Designed to withstand explosive blasts during U.S. military occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan, surplus MRAPs have been shipped to more than 800 domestic law enforcement agencies. This article uses national data on law enforcement agencies and on 1033 program transfers to analyze the pattern of MRAP distribution. The results show that MRAPs are disproportionately acquired by agencies that have warrior tendencies and rely on asset forfeiture to generate revenue. This pattern of militarization is consistent with a model of governance that views citizens as both opportunities and threats.

Police militarization in theUnited States

“…While two ecological studies suggest that the 1033 Program participation is associated with reduced crime rates at the county level, the effect of military equipment is weak and causality remains questionable (Bove & Gavrilova, 2017;Harris et al, 2017). At the same time, ecological studies find that factors like racial demographics and militaristic department policies influence some militarizing behaviors from LEAs (Burkhardt & Baker, 2018;Jackson & Carroll, 1981;Ramey & Steidley, 2018), while studies of actual PPU use suggest militarized police operations have little effect on crime and do not improve overall officer safety (Mummolo, 2018;Phillips et al, 2016). In fact, police militarization may negatively impact the public's perceptions of the police to the point that citizens are more hostile toward the police (Bell, 1982;Mummolo, 2018).…”

“…Ajilore () found in a cross‐sectional study that county‐level acquisitions of mine‐resistant ambush protected (MRAP) armored vehicles by LEAs were associated with higher levels of racial segregation in counties but not with higher levels of overall minority group presence. Similarly, Burkhardt and Baker () merged 1033 data on LEA acquisition of MRAPs with data from the Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics survey (LEMAS) and found that LEAs serving larger Black populations were less likely to acquire an MRAP. Burkhardt and Baker also find that LEAs that embodied tenants of militarism (i.e., possessed SWAT teams and mandated officers to wear body armor) and used civil asset forfeitures were more likely to acquire to MRAPS.…”

“…Burkhardt and Baker also find that LEAs that embodied tenants of militarism (i.e., possessed SWAT teams and mandated officers to wear body armor) and used civil asset forfeitures were more likely to acquire to MRAPS. They argued that police who seek military equipment may view the public they serve as both a threat to officer safety and an opportunity to secure a LEA fiscal resources (Burkhardt & Baker, ). Radil, Dezzani, and McAden () also examined the 1033 Program data to find that local geographies likely influence the 1033 Program participation.…”

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

“…These equipment transfers are particularly questioned by ethnic minority groups who have a history of poor relations with the police (Carriere & Encinosa, 2017). demonstrates a significant overlap between militarization and regions with high levels of the Black population (Brailsford, 2017). The following excerpt is the explanation of the results of that inquiry.…”

“…A data set was created "… combining the American Community Survey with data on the 1033 Program accounting for counties and counties equivalent in the United States" (Brailsford, 2017, p. 8). The resulting data indicated that areas with high amounts of racial minorities were more likely to receive more equipment through the DoD 1033 program and have militarized police (Brailsford, 2017). (Brailsford, 2017) The location for this research was Youngstown, Mahoning County, which is located in Northeast, Ohio.…”