For close to 20 years now, I've been observing and reporting on a disturbing trend in law enforcement – the federalization and militarization of local police forces.
Until recently, practically no one noticed what was happening. But with the focus on police shootings and the civil disturbances that have followed – sometimes involving tanks, military-style gear and Kevlar – it's hard not to notice that local cops don't exactly look like Officer Joe Bolton anymore.
It was none other than Al Sharpton (I won't call him reverend) who suggested recently that the answer to the use of excessive force by local police is to nationalize them – federalize them. If there were any doubt what a bad idea this is, consider its new champion.
Interestingly, we already have a model for a federalized police force in the United States – in Washington, D.C.
How's that working out for us in terms of excessive force issues?
The answer can be found by Googling the name "Miriam Carey," if it is so far unfamiliar to you. Carey was a dental hygienist and black mother who visited the nation's capital in October 2013 with her infant daughter in a car seat. She made an apparent wrong turn near the White House and was inexplicably gunned down by Capitol Police and Secret Service agents.
While Al Sharpton and his ilk may think federalization of police forces equals perfect justice, Miriam Carey's family disagrees. In fact, until recently, after WND filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Justice Department in pursuit of the official reports never released publicly on the case, a massive cover-up has been underway involving a multitude of federalized police agencies. Still, even now, all video recordings of the incident, including those captured by satellites, have been withheld. Yet the media and the "civil rights establishment" have been woefully quiet about this one sensational, egregiously unjustifiable police abuse.
Why?
Maybe precisely because it happened in Washington, D.C. – under the watchful eye of the federal government.
Not only did it happen there, it was covered up there following a standing ovation for the police who cut down Miriam Carey hours earlier by the U.S. Congress.
In other words, the federalization of the local police won't make the police more accountable for their abuses. It will make them less accountable.
There's a principle behind this: Have you ever noticed how much easier it is to reach one of your local city councilmen than it is to reach your member of the House of Representatives? Local government may not be any better than the federal government is, but it is more accessible. It's much simpler to make noise at the local level than it is at the national level.
The Founding Fathers understood this principle and significantly limited the powers of the federal government as a result of this understanding and their concern for preserving liberty. Today, there is a trend toward federalizing everything – whether the Constitution allows it or not.
And who has been militarizing the local police? The federal government has. In fact, as I've pointed out many times, it does so because of the control it gives Washington over local and state government. Washington provides the military-style arms and the military-style training to local police – and it comes with a price tag, namely accountability.
Local police should be under local control. It's a simple principle. Yet that's not the direction the Al Sharptons and the Barack Obamas want to follow. Instead, they act like only the federal government is effective and, even worse, flawless, perfect, the best way to ensure justice, transparency and avoid corruption, fraud, waste and abuse.
Do you believe that?
Anyone familiar with the federal debt? Last I checked it was over $18 trillion. Washington is broke – but it's also bankrupt of new ideas, efficiency and accountability.
That's why we need to fight the dangerous trend of federalization and militarization of local police.
Media wishing to interview Joseph Farah, please contact [email protected].
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