
North Hollywood Shootout (1997) – A tipping point in police militarization - eezurr
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Hollywood_shootout
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eezurr
I thought this article would be relevant given the current political climate.
This covers a historical event in which the police were out-gunned and the
aftermath playing an important role in the gear-augmentation of police forces.

WSJ article
[https://web.archive.org/web/20150702091610/http://www.police...](https://web.archive.org/web/20150702091610/http://www.policemag.com/channel/weapons/articles/print/story/2012/02/how-
the-north-hollywood-shootout-changed-patrol-rifles.aspx)

~~~
eesmith
See also
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986_FBI_Miami_shootout](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986_FBI_Miami_shootout)
, which "contributed to the increasing trend of law enforcement agencies to
switch from revolvers to semi-automatics across the nation".

Or further back in time. "Another reason for the creation of SWAT teams was
the fear of lone or barricaded gunmen who might outperform police in a
shootout, as happened in Austin with Charles Whitman." \-
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWAT](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWAT)

It's a series of step functions, ratcheting up the police to handle new worst-
case scenarios. And training them to think that anything can be a new worst-
case scenarios. Like selling lose cigarettes or potentially using a fake $20.

