The militarization of police in Ferguson, Mo., is part of a national trend.
The militarization of police in Ferguson, Mo., is part of a national trend. The war on terror has helped transform local police forces around the country, flooding them with tactical military equipment designed for combat. The Center for Investigative Reporting first explored the trend in 2011, and the New York Times’ Matt Apuzzo checked its growth this summer. For an overview, listen to ProPublica’s Justin Elliott discuss the military stockpiling of U.S. police forces with CIR’s G.W. Schulz.