Tyranny Comes Home: The Domestic Fate of U.S. Militarism

(Stanford University Press, 2018)

Book Forum
June 19, 2019
12:00PM to 1:30PM EDT
Hayek Auditorium, Cato Institute
Featuring the authors Christopher J. Coyne, Associate Professor of Economics, George Mason University; and Abigail R. Hall, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Tampa; moderated by Matthew Feeney, Director, Project on Emerging Technologies, Cato Institute.

For many Americans, the distinction between military policy and domestic law enforcement is clear: the U.S. military is deployed abroad and tasked with defense of vital national interests, while at home police officers protect life, liberty, and property by investigating and deterring crimes. But as Christopher Coyne and Abigail Hall explain in their book Tyranny Comes Home: The Domestic Fate of U.S. Militarism, years of policy decisions at home and abroad have eroded this distinction.


Military equipment and tactics often find their way to police departments thanks to what Coyne and Hall call the “boomerang effect,” which can result in needlessly aggressive policing and violations of civil liberties. What are the origins of the boomerang effect? Can police militarization be reversed? Does modern policing require military-grade surveillance equipment? Join us for a book forum featuring Coyne and Hall, who tackle these and other pressing questions.