History of Police …show more content…
The creation of the Department of Homeland Security and establishment of the US Patriot Act was a result of the understanding that in order to have freedom, certain aspects of daily life would have to change. One aspect of change has been law enforcement’s move towards militarization, evolving from basic military like organizational structure to changes in uniform colors, equipment and vehicles. Citizens see this evolution as a “police vs citizens” stance rather than community oriented policing. The other and more clandestine policing problem has been the National Security Agency (NSA) and its domestic surveillance. While domestic surveillance is said to provide valuable evidence to prevent terrorism, it has resulted in whistleblowers like Edward Snowden leaking classified information exposing the extent of the surveillance and the infringement on personal privacy. Therefore, the conflict arises between citizens calling for safety and law enforcement providing this safety through tactics and surveillance deemed more aggressive and tactical. Law enforcement agencies have been tasked to not only meet the safety needs of the community through combating everyday crime and law breaking but also to be on the front lines of defense against terrorism, whether homegrown or