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Cato Video • August 12, 2013 

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

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? 

Video produced by Blair Gwaltney

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This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/). 

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[![Media Name: balko.jpg](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/authors/crops/balko.jpg?itok=-cKdI_vC)](/people/radley-balko) 

##### [Radley Balko](/people/radley-balko)

Freelance Criminal Justice Journalist and Founder, *The Watch*