HOOKED ON SWAT

Source: The Amarillo Globe

Fueled  With  Drug  Enforcement Money, Military-Style Police Teams Are Exploding In The Backwoods Of Wisconsin.

On  Oct. 5, about 50 miles north of Madison in the peaceful Green Lake County  countryside  of rural Dalton, the Olveda family was enjoying a quiet evening...
Suddenly  the  door burst open and several armed men in black uniforms burst  into  the  home.  Within  seconds Wendy and her husband, Jesus, were  thrown  roughly  face down to the floor and ordered to put their
hands behind their heads.

 [snip]

To  sell  local  governments  on  the  need  for  SWAT  teams,  police officials  usually  talk about preparedness for terrorist incidents or
barricaded hostage situations.
But  once trained, SWAT personnel are most commonly used to serve drug warrants and make drug arrests.

 [snip]

Criminologist  Peter  Kraska,  one of the nation's leading authorities on SWAT teams, has a similar opinion. "It  taps  into  a  lot of masculine fantasies about being a warrior," says Kraska, a professor at Eastern Kentucky University.
"Culturally, it can infect the mindset of the whole police department,  or  the  whole  police  institution.  It's  insidious."

 [snip]

Details
Drug Raids