I had a thought on SWAT teams in general this morning...
Militaries protect the state from enemies and the police maintain law and order among the people. When you start using military forces as police the people start to look like the enemies of the state.
We've discussed in the past the excesses of paramilitary style no-knock raids. And there's the argument that having paid for the big, expensive SWAT teams and their equipment the police administrations feel obligated to use them.
Are SWAT teams simultaneously a violation of the prohibition from states having standing armies and the use of military forces against citizens?
Militaries protect the state from enemies and the police maintain law and order among the people. When you start using military forces as police the people start to look like the enemies of the state.
We've discussed in the past the excesses of paramilitary style no-knock raids. And there's the argument that having paid for the big, expensive SWAT teams and their equipment the police administrations feel obligated to use them.
Are SWAT teams simultaneously a violation of the prohibition from states having standing armies and the use of military forces against citizens?