The Misuse of SWAT -- Paramilitary Policing in the Drug War

Just before dawn one August morning last year, a Sunrise, Florida, SWAT team moved into position outside its target. At a commander's signal, the team kicked down the front door and began its assault with paramilitary precision. Within seconds shots rang out, and within moments it was clear that the team had secured its objective and killed its target.

This is a must read, the war that is happening right here, scarey stuff. The picture looks like its straight out of Iraq, but its in Texas !!! , please read the whole article (http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/427/swatmisuse.shtml)

This Article Made Me Sick. My Brother Was Arrested By Swat And He Said It Was Very Bad. At Night, In His Underwear, They Had Him On The Floor Standing On His Neck And Begging Him To Move So They Could Kill Him. All The While A Few Feet From Him They Were Putting The Boot To An Elderly Man Who Was The Owner Of The House. He Said The Old Man Was Literally Lifted Off The Floor By A Couple Of Feet At Least. Making An Arrest Is One Thing, That Was Just A Reason To Be Brutal.

Li`l Sis

SWAT are trained like the military, sharp shooters, military tatics etc. I know I wouldnt want to ever have to experience anything regarding them.
Sorry about your brother and the poor elderly man. I hope he brings a law suit against them.

You know this kind of stuff scares me to death. Supposed Civil Servants, such as police, are wrong to use SWAT in situations where they have no proven evidence for weapons or violent reaction from those they are going after. How many times have we heard from the news media of police over reaction to minor situations. My own wifes situation show the cops over reaction. My wife had two run ins with the local cops that I witnessed. In both cases we had from four to six squad cars with two cops in each pull up to our house. Now, my wife is 5'2" and 105 lbs. No history of violence, no history of weapons, no history of resisting! So why so many cops to serve a misdemanor warrent for failure to appear on a little woman with no adverse history? Because they can and they do! Its that simple.
It's such a joke around here now, because all the cops have taken to wearing black BDU's (Battle Dress Uniforms) as their standard wear. Pants bloused into their combat boots, these boys and girls have watched to damn much TV! I guess they don't try to dress professional anymore, because they ain't professionals! They are military wanna be's.
Now I know that the way the dress, really don't mean much of anything, but believe me they are ready, willing and in some cases able to forget this is a free country, and go busting in doors and being more than ready to pull a trigger. Remember they fancy themselves tough guys, and they will do what they can to prove it.:blah:

Whoooops, I didn't mean to rant.

JR

Well from your response I guess all I can say is I guess that is why the government calls it a drug 'WAR'. They dress the part and they often act as if they are in a war situation.

Witchlinblue,
You are correct. I hate to say this, but if you have studied history and remember the German SS under Hitler in WW II, and then look at our police and their SWAT teams, you will see a lot of simularities. No regard for Constitutional Rights or Personal Freedoms or the general safety of anyone that gets in their sights. It is a sad state of affairs.

JR

My rather rural area has an "Emergency Response Team" that likes to turn out in camouflage and full battle gear at the slightest excuse. A few examples from the past few years: 35+ officers with automatic weapons surrounding a house which proved to contain a sleeping drunk (two occurrences), surrounding, then shooting up or tear-gassing a house that proved to be empty (at least half a dozen occurrences) and any number of "deployments" for the most minor of offenders--in some cases they are used by local police chiefs as a means of sending a "message". And at least three times in my memory, the message has come on the nose of a bullet.

For an example of hideous abuse of a Texas SWAT team, almost certainly by judicial authorities who wanted to harass a journalist who had taken the "wrong side", see www.authorbarbaradavis.com . A truly frightening story....yes, apparently it can happen here.

Witchlinblue,
You are correct. I hate to say this, but if you have studied history and remember the German SS under Hitler in WW II, and then look at our police and their SWAT teams, you will see a lot of simularities. No regard for Constitutional Rights or Personal Freedoms or the general safety of anyone that gets in their sights. It is a sad state of affairs.

JR

My parents were there, my parents lived Nazi Germany! My own Mother who loves the United States with her own heart now says she sees no difference between Nazi Germany and the Modern United States.

Wake up America, you will end as we did if you don't!

Patti

It is quoted too often, but will never become irrelevant:

"Those who will not learn from the past are condemned to repeat it" --George Santayana.