POLL: Is America becoming a police state?

[Globus]

In light of recent police brutality, I am asking whether or not you believe America is becoming a police state.

Various definitions of police state:

a totalitarian state controlled by a political police force that secretly supervises the citizens' activities.

a country in which the activities of the people are strictly controlled by the government with the help of a police force

a state in which the government exercises rigid and repressive controls over the social, economic, and political life of the population.

Feel free to discuss and debate your stance below.

The site in the following link gives good reasons to believe America is becoming likened to a police state. http://www.policestateusa.com/

[The Serbian Empire]

The US has been one since 9/11.

[Pandeeria]

Using all definitions in the OP, no.

The US is in the very early stages of a police state. Do I think the US will become a police state in the future? If we strictly follow the status quo, then yes. If we regulate and reduce the power that agencies like the NSA have, reform the government, etc. then no.

[Kranstentistan]

In light of recent police brutality, I am asking whether or not you believe America is becoming a police state.

Various definitions of police state:

a totalitarian state controlled by a political police force that secretly supervises the citizens' activities.

a country in which the activities of the people are strictly controlled by the government with the help of a police force

a state in which the government exercises rigid and repressive controls over the social, economic, and political life of the population.

Feel free to discuss and debate your stance below.

None of those definitions can even loosely describe the US. Those who claim that the United States is a police state oughta be shipped off to Turkmenistan so that they can know what a true police state is like.

[The Serbian Empire]

Using all definitions in the OP, no.

The US is in the very early stages of a police state. Do I think the US will become a police state in the future? If we strictly follow the status quo, then yes. If we regulate and reduce the power that agencies like the NSA have, reform the government, etc. then no.

Politicians being able to reform this mess? Not a chance. The duopoly is the straw that stirs the police state drink.

[Ashyaria]

The US has been one since 9/11.

FINALLY

SOMEONE WHO KNOWS HOW THE WORLD WORKS OMG

[Saruhan]

Idk, do we really have to become a society where clamping down on rioting is considered a loss of liberty? I don't think so. The police are behaving poorly in certain circumstances now, but that's because they're faced with violent people and tonnes of people who may become violent, while being completely outnumbered

[The Serbian Empire]

The US has been one since 9/11.

FINALLY

SOMEONE WHO KNOWS HOW THE WORLD WORKS OMG

It's just that we're in a mild one. The NSA by itself spying on the citizens is the mechanism making the police state. Remove or weaken it, and the police state disappears.

[Globus]

Reasons to believe America is becoming likened to a police state.

• No-knock raids
• Checkpoints
• Gun Control
• Domestic Spying (NSA)
• Police Brutality
• Property Seizure
• Cop Militarization
• Overflowing prisions

[Silent Majority]

That seems a bit hyperbolic, though the general sentiment is certainly accurate.

[Pandeeria]

Reasons to believe America is becoming likened to a police state.

• No-knock raids

That's not really a trait of a police state. After all if they're raiding a house, they shouldn't knock.

Checkpoints

I'll actually give you that one.

Gun Control

AhhahahahaHAHAHAHAHAAH. No. Until they completely ban guns, gun control isn't the sign of a police state, it's a sign of sensibility.

Domestic Spying (NSA)

I'll give you that one too.

Police Brutality

That's just a issue with the actual system that needs reform; many nations have this issue. Not a sign of a police state.

Property Seizure

That's perhaps greedy, but with Eminent Domain it's not a trait of a police state.

Cop Militarization

That's rather just a poor choice or funding then an actual authoritarian system happening. If the militarization persists past 2020, then there is something to be worried about. For now, no.

Overflowing prisions

That's just due to our rigid laws and a strange naturally high crime-rate, not to mention we like screwing over the poor and rather go for punishment then rehabilitation.

Overall you only have 2 points, and one of those is on rather shaky ground. I remain unconvinced.

[Occupied Deutschland]

Yes, America is a 'police state'.
It's currently a relatively mild one, with a number of internal protections which still exist to shelter the populace from the worst of abuses.

Whether such will remain is a question, and the post-2001 political climate saw dramatic removal of a number of those protections which remain gone today and continue to be combated against (I'm looking at you Republican Peter King you PATRIOT ACT wanking sun'uva'bitch).

[California Prime]

Some digging into US Justice department numbers and Troop combat death statistics presents a very scary picture:
1--from 2002 through 2013, an average of 17 Americans are killed by terrorist acts per year
2--from 2002 through 2013, an average of 151 police officers are killed in the line of duty per year
3--from 2001 through 2013, an average of 391 US servicemen have died from enemy action per year in iraq and afganistan

US Justice department estimates around 500 innocent Americans are killed by the Police in America each year.

Basically the police almost equal the average yearly body count (559) of the terrorism murders, soldier combat deaths, and police officers murdered combined (also making up 1 of every 32 homicides in the US every year). Furthermore, Police only kill between 1,000 and 1,200 people total each year, meaning that between 40 and 50% of those they kill end up being innocent people killed "by mistake". that is a pretty bad track record.

Furthermore, if you look at 30 year statistics, you find that the prison population has quadrupled since 1980, the United States has 5% of the world's population and 25% of the incarcerated population, and an abysmally bad recidivism rate for released prisoners compared to most other nations. Also, we have went from having about 3,000 SWAT style raids per year nationwide to over 50,000 such raids per year nationwide.

I think it is high time that we stop militarizing our Law Enforcement agencies, and ending the idiotic war on drugs would be another great development. This doesn't necessarily make the US a police state, but it does present an argument that we are firmly on the path to becoming one someday.

[Keyboard Warriors]

In light of recent police brutality, I am asking whether or not you believe America is becoming a police state.

Various definitions of police state:

a totalitarian state controlled by a political police force that secretly supervises the citizens' activities.

a country in which the activities of the people are strictly controlled by the government with the help of a police force

a state in which the government exercises rigid and repressive controls over the social, economic, and political life of the population.

Feel free to discuss and debate your stance below.

The site in the following link gives good reasons to believe America is becoming likened to a police state. http://www.policestateusa.com/

Is the US a totalitarian state? No, it's not. Life in the US is without excessive and unnecessary government intervention and is certainly "free" compared to any modern standard which one would endeavor to use. Are the activities of people strictly controlled? No, they are not. People in the US are mostly free to do whatever they like, speak however they want and carry whatever opinion without fear of punishment. Does the government repressively control politics and economics? No, they do not. The market is one of the freest in the world, the government is one of the more democratic systems which we see in the world.

Let's be serious, calling the US a police state is an insult to people living under real totalitarian regimes. Step outside and see how good you have it.

[Britannic Realms]

What? Don't be absurd. It's a faulty country with a backwards government, but it is still the most powerful country in the free world and it is not a police state.

[Wilkshire]

It's certainly on the way to becoming a police state. Mind you, we have had a police state for years here in the UK.

[Britannic Realms]

It's certainly on the way to becoming a police state. Mind you, we have had a police state for years here in the UK.

When was that?

[Imperializt Russia]

America is not a police state and probably never will be.
There is a very worrying degree of police militarisation, however, as well as mission creep of SWAT and blatant sidestepping of search and seizure law by tagging an enormous SWAT drug raid onto a bar's carding practices, or barber licence enforcement.

This is what people in the US seem to be confusing with actual "police states".

The police is poorly accountable, and still have fundamental problems with institutionalised racism and "shoot first" mentality. This is especially obvious in the case of "puppycide", a phenomenon where police feel empowered to shoot dogs as routine carrying out of house calls or raids. Since many police departments give officers no formal training in dog handling (which the USPS does, in full, for obvious reasons - you'd assume the logic would carry over, especially to an institution which has widespread use of its own dogs), police are left to the one tool they know will solve a situation, their firearm.

[Cyrisnia]

http://www.policestateusa.com/

[Ryrgistan]

The protection of the public using agencies like the NSA or the police does not turn you into a police state. America being absolutely so free it appears any perceived infringement on their freedom seems to send cries of outrage everywhere when it should not. Attempting to make gun control laws does not make you a police state, it makes you sensible.

[Ifreann]

Ask again when people are being arrested and disappear without a trial for criticising the police. Just make sure you're outside the US when you do so.

[Imota]

No, but if people like the OP are any indication, perhaps it should become one.

[Antarticaria]

By the true or the OP definition no it is not.

[Dumb Ideologies]

No, not at all.

It seems as though a large section of society on your side of the pond have quite a pseudo-anarchist paranoia and lack of respect for the police and towards the proper exercise of authority more generally.

[Terra Sector Union]

Yes and as authority eventually gets more control in the US, crime rate will eventually drop. Sadly, there is a large anti-police movement. Most of them are likely to be criminals or related to criminals.

Really though, if Americans want the police to stop shooting at people, then their work must be more appreciated by society.