Police State

“Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” —Benjamin Franklin

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Police State Resources

Rise of the American Police State

The Rutherford Institute & FREEDOM OR ANARCHY Campaign Conscience is leading the charge in warning against a rapidly growing—and increasingly out-of-control—American police state. 

With over an estimated 80,000 SWAT raids per year, an increase in fatal (and often-times unnecessary) police shootings, and a routine dependence on militarized weapons and vehicles, local police departments are beginning to act like and resemble a standing army. 

The American police force, however, is not a branch of the military, nor is it a private security force for the reigning political faction. It is an aggregation of the countless local units that exist for a sole purpose: to serve and protect the citizens of each and every American community. In recent years, however, there has been an increasing militarization of the police. It has not occurred suddenly, in a single precinct; it cannot be traced back to a single leader or event—rather, the pattern is so subtle that most American citizens are hardly even aware of it. Little by little, police authority has expanded, one weapon after another has been added to the police arsenal, and one exception after another has been made to the standards that have historically restrained police authority. When analyzed as a whole, this trend toward militarization is undeniable, and it is one that could have serious implications for American liberty if left unchecked.

Our Recent Work in Police State

Virginia Police Agree to Settle Lawsuit After Carrying Out 'Welfare Check' on 58-Year-Old Man With a 2-Hour, Swat-Style Raid, Flash Grenade & Arrest

Court Watch: Citing Bogus ‘Contempt of Cop’ Charges, Rutherford Institute Challenges Police Use of Retaliatory Arrests to Punish Speech

Rutherford Institute Asks Appeals Court to Uphold Right of Citizens to Sue Government, TSA Over Misconduct During Airline Screening

Rutherford Institute Warns Against Police Use of Excessive Force, Noting That Unarmed Americans Are Being Shot for Merely Holding a Cell Phone

Victory: Virginia Supreme Court Delivers Blow to Police Use of License Plate Reader Technology to Track Drivers, Surveil Citizens

U.S. Supreme Court Refuses to Rein in Aggressive Knock-And-Talk Policing Practices, Fails to Hold Police Accountable for Shooting Innocent Man

Rutherford Institute Sues Police Over 'Broken Taillight' Traffic Stop That Resulted in Driver Being Punched, Beaten, Arrested and Hospitalized

Rutherford Institute Denounces Justice Dept. Plan to Expand Policing for Profit Schemes, Issues Constitutional Guidance on Civil Asset Forfeiture

Commentary on Police State Issues

Battlefield America: The Ongoing War on the American People

A New World Order: Brought to You by the Global-Industrial Deep State

The Slippery Slope to a Constitution-Free America

A Blueprint for Resistance: Jesus Christ vs. the Police State [SHORT]

Armed and Dangerous: If Police Don’t Have to Protect the Public, What Good Are They?

What Country Is This? Forced Blood Draws, Cavity Searches and Colonoscopies

Battlefield America Is the New Normal: We’re Not in Mayberry Anymore

Execution by Firing Squad: The Militarized Police State Opens Fire

Twilight of the Courts: The Elusive Search for Justice in the American Police State

The Iron Jaws of the Police State: Trump’s America Is a Constitution-Free Zone