Quote:
Originally Posted by legion
"When your only tool is a hammer, all problems look like nails."
Now apply that to when your only tool is juiced-up quasi-military SWAT teams...
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Well-said.
I got beaten up a few weeks for taking this position, but I'll make it again in the hope that it will come across better this time and not be taken out of context, but just think about all the people coming back from the front lines of Iraq. From a "department" point of view, they're perfect candidates to become police officers - used to chain of command, discipline, likely to be in good physical shape, etc.
HOWEVER (and here's the rub), are these the kinds of people that are going to be REALLY be well-suited for domestic police work in a community of American citizens who are their neighbors, not in a foreign country surrounded by imminent threats and IEDs and snipers? I suspect the transition will be difficult for some, impossible for others and could become a big problem as former military personnel adapt back to civilian life, especially while carrying around the trauma of combat.
Not intended to bash our service personnel (I appreciate the job they're doing even if I oppose the war). I just see the potential for problems when a bunch of guys with psychological trauma are "rubber stamped" by police departments and handed a gun and a god complex at the door.