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    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    Are Local Police Becoming More Militant?

    Highly armed paramilitary units and SWAT teams are on the rise in American law enforcement. Is one person's militarization another's preparation?

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    KCRW placeholderBy Barbara Bogaev • Jun 27, 2014 • 52m Listen

    Highly armed paramilitary units and SWAT teams are on the rise in American law enforcement - that’s according to a new study from the ACLU that claims these teams are increasingly being deployed in situations that don’t require military firepower like grenades and sniper rifles. The practice raises questions about where to draw the line between soldier and cop, and sometimes causes peaceful situations to spiral into violence, or even deaths. Is one person's militarization another's preparation?

    Also, big news out of Brussels, and why we persist in believing in winning streaks when all the odds are against it.

    Banner Image Credit: Jonathan McIntosh

    In this episode

    3 stories
    1. 1:14

      Ukraine Signs EU Deal That Started the Crisis

      The European Union trade agreement that set the whole Ukraine Crisis in motion 7 months ago has now officially been signed. Heads of state met for a signing ceremony with the new Ukrainian President, Petro Poroshenko. In response, Kremlin officials have warned of “serious consequences.”

      Read the story
      7 min
    2. 8:02

      Cop or Soldier? Hard to Tell

      "War Comes Home": That’s what the ACLU called its report this week about the increasing militarization of police forces in the United States. According to the ACLU, SWAT-style raids are on the rise, even though they’re often unnecessary, and sometimes turn peaceful situations into violent ones.

      Read the story
      34 min
    3. 42:34

      Evolution and Hot Streaks in Sports

      The NBA Draft happened last night, and sport geeks say it was the richest in terms of talent in years. Talent matters of course, but sometimes a player can just get hot at the right time and ride that streak all the way to victory.

      Read the story
      10 min
    • KCRW placeholder

      Barbara Bogaev

      radio journalist

      NewsNationalPolitics

    In this episode

    3 stories
    1. 1:147 min

      Ukraine Signs EU Deal That Started the Crisis

    2. 8:0234 min

      Cop or Soldier? Hard to Tell

    3. 42:3410 min

      Evolution and Hot Streaks in Sports

    Back to To the Point