Rise of the Warrior Cop

By Radley Balko,

Book cover of Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America's Police Forces

Book description

The last days of colonialism taught America's revolutionaries that soldiers in the streets bring conflict and tyranny. As a result, our country has generally worked to keep the military out of law enforcement. But according to investigative reporter Radley Balko, over the last several decades, America's cops have increasingly come…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Rise of the Warrior Cop as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I love this book because it provides a unique perspective on the problems of policing.

It is certainly true that discrimination and socio-economic disparity are important explanations that are relevant to policing problems. However, Balko shows that the police institution’s warrior identity is an equally important problem.

This book provides an illuminating account of the ways that America's police officers have come to resemble an occupying military force that is in a faceoff against the communities they are supposed to protect.

From Luke's list on the cluster-f*ck we call policing.

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