ABSTRACT
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, the police in the United States moved from an operating philosophy that endorsed and embraced community policing to one that saw as one of its primary missions the engagement of the domestic “War on Terror”. In the furtherance of this mandate, the police have adopted a more militarized posture in dealing with their constituent communities. This has included the acquisition and deployment of military vehicles, weapons, aircraft, and uniforms, and has resulted in the widespread militarization of domestic, civilian law enforcement operations in ways that are incompatible with community policing.
