In the United States the modern day police force finds its roots in the slave patrols of the Antebellum South (Williams, 36-46). Created to patrol roads, spy on slaves and report or suppress talk of rebellion these patrols soon expanded to include poor white (indentured servants and others) and acted to protect the boss class and their material interests.
This is one of the reason the police have become such a power lobby in our society is they "provide a mechanism by which the power of the state and eventually that of the emerging ruling class, could be brought to bear on the lives and habits of individual members of society" (Williams, 75). For many they embody the right of the state to reserve the use of violence for itself. They are unquestioned in their dispensation of force and idea of justice. A quick look at the history of the police helps us to understand quite a bit about them.
Through the past two centuries the role of the police has evolved and become more specialized but essentially has remained the same. The protection of private property and the surrveilence and control of poor people.
The ways in which the police do this are varied. One of the main tactics law enforcement uses is the gathering of information through unofficial means. This is one aspect of control and militarization that truly represents the most dramatic departure from the ideal of the police as we think we know them.
Author Peter Kraska writes "Militarization ... can be defined in its broadest terms as the social process in which society organizes itself for the production of violence or the threat thereof" (williams, 198).
Kraska goes one to list the following as evidence of that increasing militarization of the police in America.
1. A blurring of external and internal security functions leading to a targeting of civilian populations, internal 'security' threats, and a focus on aggregate populations as potential internal 'insurgents'.
2. An avoidance of overt or lethal violence, with a greater emphasis placed on information gathering and processing, surveillance work, and less than lethal technologies.
3. An ideology and theoretical framework of militarism that stresses that effective problem solving requires state force, technology, armament, intelligence gathering, aggressive suppression efforts, and other assorted activities commensurate with modern military thinking and operations.
4. Criminal justice practices guided by the ideological framework of militarism such as the use of special operation paramilitary teams in policing and corrections, policing activities that emphasize military tactics such as drug, gun and gang suppression, and punishment models based on the military boot camp.
5. The purchasing, loaning, donation, and use of actual material products that can be characterized as militaristic, including a range of military armaments, transportation devices, surveillance equipment, and military style garb.
6. A rapidly developing collaboration, at the highest level of the governmental and corporate worlds, between the defense industry and the crime control industry.
7. The use of military language within political and popular culture, to characterize the social problems of drugs, crime and social disorder.
(Williams, 198)
Below is an excerpt from a very excellent book called "Eco-Defense a guide to Monkey-Wrenching" for those of you involved in what some would term radical politics this is good advice.
Confidential Informants
The confidential informant, or “CI” is possible the single most valuable tool used in law enforcement. CI’s are obtained by a number of means:
Walk-in – These are disgruntled or disenchanted members of a target organization who volunteer their services, for a variety of reasons. They may have joined a group with good intention, only to be offended by what they see as overly radical tactics. Or they may e ambitious people who have been passed over for leadership roles and decide to seek revenge against those they think have slighted them. Or they may be wackos who seek revenge against someone in the group for personal reasons, including romantic ones.
Tip offs – The future CI is indiscreet in talking of illegal exploits, and is overheard by someone not of the group, who in turn informs the police. The police obtain information about other illegal activities. This often occurs with drug busts.
Recruits – Known members of a target group may be targeted for recruitment by the police. The effort usually begins with a background check for signs of vulnerability. An individual who appears ‘weak’ might simply be interviewed repeatedly by a persuasive officer until she agrees to cooperate. A conservative employer perhaps only with a law enforcement or military background might be enlisted to help in pressuring the prospective recruits. In the past, for instance, the FBI has used interviews with employers to intimidate members of political groups.
Similarly, a spouse may be approached to aid in the recruitment. Veiled threats to children or to one’s job security have often proved effective. Also, the parents of the would be informer may be approached to secure their help. This approach may be particularly effective if the subject is say a college student receiving financial support from their parents.
People who have never been arrested, or young people heavily influenced by their families are more often susceptible to becoming CIs than those with more experience.
Excerpt from “Ecodefense – a field guide to Monkey Wrenching”
Williams, Kristian (2007) "Our Enemies in Blue police and power in America" South End Press, Cambridge, MA.
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