In the wake of the Michael Brown killing, many are pointing to the "militarization" of the police as the problem. That the distribution of military-grade goods to local police departments as part of our various "Wars" (on drugs, on terror) is the proximate cause of the spectacular rise of police violence against civilians, up to and including the execution of unarmed citizens. I, as probably comes as no surprise, have a radically different perspective. See below the doodlebug.
The weaponry and other equipment in the hands of the police are merely tools. Ones that readily lend themselves to misuse, to be sure, but mere tools nonetheless. The uses they are put to are driven by other factors, mostly in the minds of those using the tools. That's why I would list militarization as no higher than the fourth leading cause of this crime wave in blue.
These incidents aren't limited geographically or demographically. They happen in all regions of the country, big cities and small towns. The culture of violent policing has been universalized in our society. I would suggest, both from events in the media and personal experience, that today's cops feel nothing but belligerent contempt toward mere civilians. It's absolutely impossible to imagine a cop of forty years ago, upon encountering a non-belligerent citizen, unleashing a shouted torrent of crude, vulgar expletive-laden abuse. Today, it's impossible to imagine anything else.
It's hard to pinpoint exactly where this comes from, whether it itself is a doctrine that is part of the formal training of police officers, a side effect of that training and its doctrines, a station-house culture, or just the product of a general coarsening of the larger culture. What we can be sure of is this, there is clearly no training that this is unacceptable police behavior, that we expect--need--civility on the part of our public professionals, particularly those, such as police, that by nature interact with our most intimate lives. There is clearly nowhere any training of police officers to drive this point home. Creation and universal application of such training would be the first of my recommendations.
There is also an apparently widely-distributed doctrine that police must assume a position of domination of any contact they have with civilians from the moment of first contact. The direct effect of this doctrine is to rule out any serious attempt to understand the particulars of a situation, leaving police officers to respond immediately on the basis of their preconceived notions, which will include any racial or other prejudices of the individual cop. Combine those prejudices with the imperative of domination of any situation, and violence is almost a certain recourse. Police training must be amended to eliminate this doctrine of dominance from first contact if we wish to reduce the number and degree of violent confrontations between police and citizens.
Maintaining this level of combativeness and confrontation simply isn't normal or natural in a human being. Yet it is demanded of today's police. How does that circle get squared? Chemically. Today's police forces are awash in steroids. Congress cracks down on baseball players, who have no meaningful contact with our lives, using them, but gives a complete blank check on the issue to law enforcement who can enter into contact with us at any time. I hope I don't have to rehearse the psychological effects of long-term steroid use for this audience.
I am well aware of this problem. A couple years back, I ran into an old friend from high school days. I'd lost contact with him back in our 20s as he flopped in and out of prison. I was surprised to discover him living a quiet upper middle class suburban life. I had to ask him how he'd pulled things together, such that he enjoyed a standard of living beyond my hopes. He smiled. "If the cops got your number, you have to be able to do something for them." "What could you possibly do for them?" "I get them steroids," he said, and listed four local police departments he supplies with steroids. "Now I'm untouchable."
Answer: steroid testing. All cops. Regularly. Part of the job, just like they can always be tested for narcotics. Steroid detoxification programs, and termination for recidivists.
You don't need militarization of the police for any of the above widely spread conditions to be severely problematic in society. Changes in training, doctrine, and personnel management practices would be far more productive in reducing out of control police behavior than taking away their armored cars, which would stir up yet another hornet's nest if these steps aren't taken first.