Law Enforcement

We have written before about a Pentagon program that transferred used military equipment to local police departments.

Justice is supposed to be blind, with the laws of the land applying equally, without favor, to all citizens. It's not a difficult concept to understand, and it is a bedrock ideal of the American system. Which made this story out of New York City about "get out of jail free" cards issued to police by their union to hand out to friends and family so very disturbing:

There is no question that race is still a big issue in this country. We may think we've come far since the days of Jim Crow and segregation. But in many very important ways, we have not. South Carolina Sen.

A week that has been full of shocks gets much worse:

Conservatives have traditionally been supportive of law enforcement. That's been a little harder to do in recent years, as it appears as though law enforcement has become a threat to, rather than a protector of, our liberties. How has this happened?

For at least two years, federal and local law enforcement agencies have used a new type of radar device that allows them to peer inside homes and conduct searches -- all without a warrant:

For nearly two decades, the Defense Department has managed the 1033 program that transfers used military equipment to local law enforcement agencies.  Recent stories about the amount and types of military hardware finding its way into police

Forget (for the moment) federal government spying on your emails, text messages, phone calls, internet">Internet searches, postal mail, banking activity, driving habits and more.  One of the biggest growth areas for the surveillance state is in old-fashioned