Damning Study Shows Billions Spent Militarizing the Police Do Nothing to Reduce Violent Crime

"A new study by a political scientist at Princeton University concludes that militarizing police and SWAT teams 'provide no detectable benefits in terms of officer safety or violent crime reduction.' In fact, according to researcher Jonathan Mummolo, if police in America are feeling less safe, it’s because the process of transforming them into extensions of the military makes them less safe, less popular and less trust-worthy. The study, the first systematic analysis on the use and consequences of militarized force, reveals that 'police militarization neither reduces rates of violent crime nor changes the number of officers assaulted or killed.' In other words, warrior cops aren’t making us or themselves any safer."