ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the issues, as well as a legitimate need for the type of equipment in comparison to the adverse effects it may cause. In the mind of some, policing in America can be traced back as far as the late 1700s, when policing-type groups were formed from military bodies that were developed to sustain the institution of slavery. The Posse Comitatus Act was passed in 1878, making it unlawful for the military to be utilized in a domestic law enforcement role unless specified under the exemptions in the Act. These exceptions eliminated prohibiting the use of the military for active or direct use in forcing the law. In 1967, the Kerner Commission was created to identify contributing problems, which led to law enforcement ineffectiveness during the 1960s. Some of the essential findings included: structural issues with dispatch orientation for command and control in policing the disorders.
