Militarization fails to enhance police safety or reduce crime but may harm police reputation

The use of Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams and other forms of “militarized policing” doesn’t deter violent crime. Instead, it harms police reputation and disproportionately affects black communities, according to a new study by the National Academy of Sciences. 

Author Jonathan Mummolo, an assistant professor of politics and public affairs at Princeton University, found that militarized police units do not appear to provide the safety benefits (either to the public or to police officers) that many police administrators claim.

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