(Via Irons in the Fire)
I’ve always been a fan of the police as “peace officers” rather than “law enforcement officers”. When we forced this mutation, I feel that we have removed their traditional base of support, which was the people they served. This also has had the effect of increasing the public’s distrust of the police. As time has progressed, police officers have become militarized (in large part because we have declared a “War On Drugs”)–often, as Radley Balko points out, with tragic results on both sides.