Militarization of police: a comparison of police paramilitary units in Canadian and the United States
| Date | 01 June 2020 |
| Author | K Cyr,Dale Spencer,Rosemary Ricciardelli |
| Published date | 01 June 2020 |
| DOI | 10.1177/1461355719898204 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
Militarization of police: a comparison of
police paramilitary units in Canadian and
the United States
K Cyr
Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada
Rosemary Ricciardelli
Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada
Dale Spencer
Carleton University, Canada
Abstract
In comparison with Canada, the more pronounced ability to acquire special weapons and tactics (SWAT) equipment in the
United States suggests the resulting proliferation of SWAT teams with adequate material resources is likely to continue.
This proliferation has stimulated media and public discourses against the “militarization” of police. In Canada, however,
the amalgamation of SWAT teams has led to increased standardization in SWAT training, member specialization and
protocols of applied practice. We argue that, in comparison with the United States, the proliferation of paramilitary
activity is limited in the Canadian policing landscape by public safety governance structures, acquisition processes, and
judicial scrutiny. In consequence, Canadian police services are better positioned than their counterparts in the United
States to withstand the public scrutiny tied to police tactical responses.
Keywords
Police paramilitary units, militarization, governance, special weapons and tactics (SWAT) teams, public discourse
Submitted 25 Apr 2019, Revise received 28 Oct 2019, accepted 04 Dec 2019
Law enforcement agencies in Canada and the United States
are held to almost identical expectations in resolving dan-
gerous situations, ranging from rescuing hostages to
responding to terrorist incidents, at any time or place and
irrespective of weather conditions (National Tactical Offi-
cer Association [NTOA], 2015; Police Services Act, 1990).
In order to have the capability to resolve these situations in
the safest manner possible, Canadian and US police agen-
cies employ specialized paramilitary units referred to by a
variety of terms including special weapons and tactics
teams (SWAT), emergency response teams (ERT) and spe-
cial response teams (SRT). However, US law enforcement
agencies have met significant and sustained criticism
regarding the equipment, strategies, and training adopted
for SWAT operations, the application of SWAT teams to a
growing spectrum of contexts, and bungled operational out-
comes (American Civil Liberties Union Foundation
(ACLU), 2014; Balko 2006; Kraska, 1999). Canadian
police agencies, by contrast, appear to face far fewer objec-
tions despite police agencies in both countries employing
almost identical equipment and tactics.
To understand why the concerns voiced so strongly in
the United States have not manifested as much on Canadian
soil, we unpack differences in the public discourse and
political action surrounding police militarization and the
Corresponding author:
Rosemary Ricciardelli, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 230 Eliza-
beth Avenue, Saint John’s, Newfoundland, A1C 5S7, Canada.
Email: rricciardell@mun.ca
International Journalof
Police Science & Management
2020, Vol. 22(2) 137–147
ªThe Author(s) 2020
Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/1461355719898204
journals.sagepub.com/home/psm
To continue reading
Request your trial