Militarization of policing

Militarization of policing is the routine deployment of military-grade equipment, tactics, and unit structures in civilian law-enforcement contexts — including for low-risk warrant service, protest response, and routine patrol. Concrete forms include the federal transfer of surplus military equipment without accompanying training or oversight, the routinization of SWAT-style deployment for non-emergency operations, and the adoption of military-style response posture for ordinary protest policing.