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Capitol Hill Briefing

Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America’s Police Forces

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Date and Time
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Location
B-338 Rayburn House Office Building
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Featuring
Featuring Radley Balko, Author, Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America’s Police Forces, Senior Writer, Huffington Post; and Mark Lomax, Executive Director, National Association of Tactical Officers; moderated by Laura Odato, Director of Government Affairs, Cato Institute.

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One of the most disturbing trends in American policing in recent years has been the militarization of police weaponry and tactics. In his new book, The Rise of the Warrior Cop, author Radley Balko traces the arc of American law enforcement from the constables of colonial times to present day SWAT teams and special response units. With the martial rhetoric surrounding the “war on drugs” and the “war on terrorism,” policymakers have signed off on a dangerously aggressive style of policing that too often leads to unnecessary deaths and injuries. Is modern law enforcement on a collision course with our Bill of Rights? Join us for wide-ranging discussion of paramilitary police tactics in America.