Posse Comitatus – Repealed but Not Gone

In 1878 the Posse Comitatus Act ended the use of the US Military to enforce state laws. Our founders uniformly abhorred any concept of a federal police force since “police power” was vested in the states. However, since the 1980s, the tactics of the local police have come to resemble those of the military. Armored personnel carriers, heavy duty attack weapons, tanks and military hardware are being used for ordinary police tasks such as the enforcement of warrants and simple arrests. The very appearance of our cops is identical to army troops. How did this happen, where is it going and what does it tell us about life in America? No one knows this better than Radley Balko, author of “The Rise of the Warrior Cop.” Radley explains how the mission of our local police has changed from our protectors to our adversaries. This show won’t make you happy but it will inform you.