Description

Within recent years, the formerly bright line separating U.S. military operations from domestic police work has become increasingly blurred. From Waco to the WTO protests, weaponry and tactics once reserved for the battlefield have been used in police operations on U.S. soil. "Urban Warrior" investigates the debate over the use of military tactics in law enforcement, and looks at the impact this trend is having on American civil liberties. The program investigates three major case studies of paramilitary policing, the Elian Gonzalez raid, the Seattle police response to the WTO protests, and the death of Richard Brown during a Miami PD SWAT raid. Commentary from academics, journalists, police officers and military personnel informs the debate over the growing use of military tactics by domestic police agencies.