Writing for Time, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky sounded off about the horrific set of events unfolding in Ferguson, Missouri, where protests over the shooting of an unarmed black teen have escalated into severe tensions between the citizenry and the police, sparking debates across the country about the merits of having a militarized police force. Staying true to his Libertarian leanings, Paul agreed the time has come to "demilitarize" our police to restore balance again.
The outrage in Ferguson is understandable—though there is never an excuse for rioting or looting. There is a legitimate role for the police to keep the peace, but there should be a difference between a police response and a military response.
The images and scenes we continue to see in Ferguson resemble war more than traditional police action.
Paul then continued to quote several sources from the Cato Institute and Heritage Foundation about how local police forces have increasingly become equipped with high-powered military style weaponry since 9/11, making it difficult to differentiate between a police officer and soldier. All agree these weapons have no place in small towns and suburbs.
Paul acknowledged that most cops are good people who provide a much-needed service, but made it clear police departments are suffering a systemic problem spurred on by big government in the War on Drugs and War on Terror.
Big government has been at the heart of the problem. Washington has incentivized the militarization of local police precincts by using federal dollars to help municipal governments build what are essentially small armies—where police departments compete to acquire military gear that goes far beyond what most of Americans think of as law enforcement.
The militarization of our law enforcement is due to an unprecedented expansion of government power in this realm. It is one thing for federal officials to work in conjunction with local authorities to reduce or solve crime. It is quite another for them to subsidize it.
Paul concluded that black Americans should rightly feel their government has targeted them and stated that the war on drugs has let the criminal justice system treat them unfairly. He expressed deep sympathies for Michael Brown's family and said he would pray for them.
