Is the "Showtime Effect" Killing Children?

Latest from William Grigg
The Death of Aiyana Jones: "Showtime Syndrome" Claims a Child

Read it and ponder that over 100 SWAT raids happen everyday in America. One quibble I have with is report is that:

the SRT paramilitaries chose a Fallujah-style "dynamic entry," hurling a flash-bang grenade through a closed window and storming through the front door with guns drawn.

It's only anecdotal but I've been told by some ex-servicemen who were in Fallujah that the tactics being employed by SWAT teams like the one in the Detroit raid would not be be tolerated by the military.

Other than that I think Grigg is dead on with his assessment.

Possible ID of Dog Killing Cops

Posted at Restore the Constitution is a PDF file which appears to be a copy of the Incident Report without the usual blacking out of the officers' names. If you have any further information please contact the author, alarmrideratl or Radly Balko at The Agitator.

In an unrelated SWAT raid in Detroit, a seven year old girl was killed by a police bullet.

Police as a Paramilitary Force.

Another followup from Radley Balko on the Dog killing Cops.

Read the whole thing but pay attention to this paragraph:

I’ve heard similar accounts from other members of the military. A couple of years ago after I’d given a speech on this issue, a retired military officer and former instructor at West Point specifically asked me to stop using the term "militarization," because he thought comparing SWAT teams to the military reflected poorly on the military.

I heard the same from some veterans. They tell me that many of the tactics used by SWAT teams would be a quick ticket to a Courts Martial. Even in Viet Nam -- despite what you may have seen in the movies -- a certain level of civilized behavior was expected from the ordinary ground pounder.

I cannot but wonder if it the difference in the mission. Ostensibly the US military is in Iraq to fight terrorists without alienating the rest of the population. Here in the States the cops just don't seem to care how much damage they do to their own reputation with the locals.

The difference is that between a soldier and a thug.

Cops Raid Home

First they kill the dog. Then they kill the smaller dog.

They find a stash of marijuana large enough for a misdemeanor charge.

Then they charge the parents with child endangerment because -- well -- they let strange men with guns come into the house and start killing.

Watch the video and read the commentary. These guys are not cops. They're pimply-faced gamers, recruited from mama's basement with the promise of getting to play Going Postal for real.