01-15-2013, 01:50 AM
An OP-ED piece in Sunday's Albuquerque Journal (January 13,2013).
Written in response to a concerned citizen who felt that policemen with ARs were an indication of starting to look like military personnel.
Please see Police, Military Tactics Have Little in Common on Page B3 of January 13, 20139 This link works in my e-mail but won't print here. SO:
Police, Military Tactics Have Little in Common
By Joseph T. Wolf
Director of Training, Albuquerque Police Department
I’m writing in response to a letter from Richard Berthold in Monday’s Journal. The letter was printed under the headline “Police Starting To Act Like Military Personnel.”
Berthold concludes his letter on an especially alarming note by writing “That our police look and act more and more like the military is simply one facet of our descent into darkness.” I’d like to take some time to address a number of the points in Berthold’s letter, and hopefully shed some light on his observations and challenge his conclusions.
The notion that police agencies, including the Albuquerque Police Department, are arming themselves with military weaponry is simply inaccurate. Police agencies don’t deploy anything larger than small arms, don’t direct air strikes, don’t use suppressing fire or deliberately destroy infrastructure. Police officers are not empowered to kill an enemy upon contact nor capture and hold territory.
That being said, there are applications of military technology that are well-suited to law enforcement use: advances in personal body armor, night optics, robotics and other technologies that are proven life savers. The fact that a law enforcement agency is using these technical capabilities should not lead the casual observer to conclude a coupling with military tactics — even though officers may display a militaristic appearance when fully equipped to deal with a crisis.
Berthold points out that Philadelphia is the originator of the Special Weapons and Tactics concept. Although that’s technically true, the SWAT concept was grown into its current form by the Los Angeles Police Department.
The goal of SWAT, as envisioned by its originators, was to provide enhanced tactical capability to police field commanders when a dangerous situation exceeds the capabilities of the first responding officers. Unlike military operators who strike swiftly and with maximum effect, SWAT operators are patient and resolved to seek non-violent solutions.
The overwhelming number of SWAT deployments are concluded without bloodshed. SWAT is called-out to protect the public, contain a critical situation and empowered to promptly act only to prevent escalation of violence.
Berthold’s point that “mind-set of a soldier and policeman are completely different” is precisely correct. Mayor Richard Berry and Chief Ray Schultz specifically charged APD’s Training Division with making every effort to clarify this idea to new recruits and veteran officers alike. All APD training is undergoing review and modification to reflect and emphasize our renewed commitment to the rule of law, absolute integrity and to provide the skills required to resolve problems without force.
To be sure, APD and other departments around the nation are structured and operated as paramilitary organizations. This is vital because the values, hierarchy, traditions and esprit de corps that have grown from centuries of military experience are aptly suited to the work we do.
However, it must be remembered that the work of an APD officer, grounded in the principles enshrined in the constitutions of the United States and the state of New Mexico, does not include destruction of an enemy or the capture of resources. Instead it obligates the highest order of honesty, a commitment to public service and the pursuit of justice for everyone.
As a 30-year law enforcement veteran, I am so proud to be part of APD. Night and day, there are one thousand of this community’s finest men and women who do the largely unsung work of keeping us all safe. This is something of which every resident of Albuquerque can be enormously proud.
Written in response to a concerned citizen who felt that policemen with ARs were an indication of starting to look like military personnel.
Please see Police, Military Tactics Have Little in Common on Page B3 of January 13, 20139 This link works in my e-mail but won't print here. SO:
Police, Military Tactics Have Little in Common
By Joseph T. Wolf
Director of Training, Albuquerque Police Department
I’m writing in response to a letter from Richard Berthold in Monday’s Journal. The letter was printed under the headline “Police Starting To Act Like Military Personnel.”
Berthold concludes his letter on an especially alarming note by writing “That our police look and act more and more like the military is simply one facet of our descent into darkness.” I’d like to take some time to address a number of the points in Berthold’s letter, and hopefully shed some light on his observations and challenge his conclusions.
The notion that police agencies, including the Albuquerque Police Department, are arming themselves with military weaponry is simply inaccurate. Police agencies don’t deploy anything larger than small arms, don’t direct air strikes, don’t use suppressing fire or deliberately destroy infrastructure. Police officers are not empowered to kill an enemy upon contact nor capture and hold territory.
That being said, there are applications of military technology that are well-suited to law enforcement use: advances in personal body armor, night optics, robotics and other technologies that are proven life savers. The fact that a law enforcement agency is using these technical capabilities should not lead the casual observer to conclude a coupling with military tactics — even though officers may display a militaristic appearance when fully equipped to deal with a crisis.
Berthold points out that Philadelphia is the originator of the Special Weapons and Tactics concept. Although that’s technically true, the SWAT concept was grown into its current form by the Los Angeles Police Department.
The goal of SWAT, as envisioned by its originators, was to provide enhanced tactical capability to police field commanders when a dangerous situation exceeds the capabilities of the first responding officers. Unlike military operators who strike swiftly and with maximum effect, SWAT operators are patient and resolved to seek non-violent solutions.
The overwhelming number of SWAT deployments are concluded without bloodshed. SWAT is called-out to protect the public, contain a critical situation and empowered to promptly act only to prevent escalation of violence.
Berthold’s point that “mind-set of a soldier and policeman are completely different” is precisely correct. Mayor Richard Berry and Chief Ray Schultz specifically charged APD’s Training Division with making every effort to clarify this idea to new recruits and veteran officers alike. All APD training is undergoing review and modification to reflect and emphasize our renewed commitment to the rule of law, absolute integrity and to provide the skills required to resolve problems without force.
To be sure, APD and other departments around the nation are structured and operated as paramilitary organizations. This is vital because the values, hierarchy, traditions and esprit de corps that have grown from centuries of military experience are aptly suited to the work we do.
However, it must be remembered that the work of an APD officer, grounded in the principles enshrined in the constitutions of the United States and the state of New Mexico, does not include destruction of an enemy or the capture of resources. Instead it obligates the highest order of honesty, a commitment to public service and the pursuit of justice for everyone.
As a 30-year law enforcement veteran, I am so proud to be part of APD. Night and day, there are one thousand of this community’s finest men and women who do the largely unsung work of keeping us all safe. This is something of which every resident of Albuquerque can be enormously proud.