When you call the United States a “police state”, people either look at you like you are a paranoid conspiracy theorist or they nod their head in agreement. While the thought of the “land of the free” being anything but free is troubling, to be sure, there are signs that the people of this nation are being increasingly controlled by a system that wants to criminalize everything and repress any opposition.
A police state could be defined as a government that exercises repressive control over its subjects’ lives in all aspects through the use of an “arbitrary exercise of power by police” and possibly secret police instead of the regular administration of justice. And while our courts are still standing and the Constitution still guarantees our rights, it seems we see police and agents of “justice” more frequently walking the thin line between what is constitutional and what isn’t.
While there are numerous signs and cases demonstrating the seemingly growing power of police, here are a few particularly worth mentioning.
- Domestic Drone Use. The federal government is giving money to state and local law enforcement agencies to purchase drones for surveillance use. Lawmakers are scrambling to pass legislation limiting the use of these eyes in the sky (similar to those dropping weapons overseas). But even in the rush to pass laws, some legislators (like those in Arizona) are compromising rights for the promise of money.
- Police Militarization. A few decades ago, SWAT teams didn’t exist. But now even small town police departments have access to tanks and military grade equipment. Even worse, they are using them. The ACLU recently opened an investigation into the militarization of police, though it remains to be seen how these domestic warriors will cooperate with the organization’s fact-finding mission.
- Automated License Plate Recognition Scanners (ALPR). A growing number of license plate scanners are being attached to patrol cars where they are continually scanning and storing the information on thousands of cars every single minute. What is happening with this information after it’s captured is anyone’s guess—there are no laws governing how police should handle it at this point. At least one private company claims they have over 700 million scans stored in their database. And with numbers like that, there’s a good chance you’re in it somewhere.
- Police Using Secret Cell Tracking. They’re known as stingrays and they act like a cell tower, pinpointing the location of cellular transmissions. But the difference between these and cops using an actual cell tower—the police don’t have to go through a cell phone company to get permission. These stingrays are extremely accurate and have the capability to deliver content (like text messages) as well. And worst of all, police departments across the nation are using them to track suspects while misleading judges as to their 4th Amendment intrusions.
- The Criminalization of Everything. There are more criminal laws on the books than ever before, and more are enacted each and every year. In addition to police departments, regulatory agencies are being given an increasing amount of power to enforce such laws (take a look at these DE DOT officials who tore down private basketball hoops because they were too close to the street). Police are increasingly arresting people for the most benign activities—including gardening, lawfully recording police, not to mention all the children being thrown into the system.
This list is by no means extensive. Other examples of the possible police state include the incarceration epidemic that has the U.S. listed as the most incarcerated nation in the world, the fact that police will arrest you for recording them (despite laws protecting the activity), and the fact that the federal government refuses to back off of marijuana despite the majority of Americans supporting legalization.
So, is calling the U.S. a police state the mumblings of a paranoid person or someone who is simply aware of the increasingly long arm of the justice system?
About David Matson