I found both chapters 5 and 6 to be a continuation of prior knowledge, as well as eye opening to see the background behind the militarization of police and the effects of racial profiling. What I found to be disturbing was that since 1990s, there has been a surplus of military arms being sent to local law enforcement. What is alarming about the information is that it takes about a year, or less depending on the program to graduate from the police academy. That is a shorter training for most careers as well as a shorter training period for military personnel. To entrust local law enforcement to handle such machinery like pistols, and other arms, when they have minimal professional training with these weapons is quite dangerous, which has been proven many times. When officers are put into stressful situations end up hurting innocent bystanders using such heavy machinery because they lack the training to know how to stay calm when in a high intensity scenario. What I did notice in the reading was that they were making the attempts to cut out military tools being handed to local law enforcement as a way to make a distinction between the military and the local police. Although they have changed the tactics, I began to wonder what took them so long to make that distinction? Although I was not able to find the answer for that, I was able to get a clearer understanding of the point of the SWAT team. Although, I am cognizant that the SWAT team is there to serve search warrants, and have to use heavy arms to protect themselves from any violent reactions, I do feel that their part in the “war on drugs,” has led to unfair profiling from all sectors of law enforcement, and the judicial system. Most of the SWAT arrests are drug offenses, many of those in are centered in minority communities, mainly black and Hispanic. Reading and knowing that information, made me question, how fair the law enforcement system is? It brought back the biggest question that I have when I think about law enforcement action towards combating drugs, which is why is it that the “war on drugs” is mainly centered around minorities communities who are live in poor areas, when their white peers who live in upper class neighborhoods do not get arrested or served search warrants, even if they might be distributing drugs at the same level?

From recent history I feel that the “war on drugs” became the catalysts for racial profiling in the inner city areas, as the stigma that centered inner city minority areas led to more officers being around, as well as more prejudice towards young black and Hispanic men. I found it disheartening that black teens were fatally killed at a rate of “31.17 per million in comparison to white teens who are killed 1.47 per million” (CQ Researcher). Not only are they killed at a higher rate, but they are stopped and frisked, arrested, jailed, and sentenced at a higher rate than white people for the same and or lesser offenses. What makes it terrible is that they can not afford lawyers who can spend time on their case, and do to prejudice within the justice system they receive harsher sentences that their white counterparts. Although, government officials have called for the use of cameras on cops to ensure that they are taking the right steps when arresting, that does not stop the whole system. Even with cameras, many cops are still prejudice, and if they have a boss who supports them, they can hide evidence when a racial profiling case comes about. Also, we can not focus on the lower level law enforcement when dealing with racial profiling, we also need to think about how we are going to ensure that young minority men are not being steered to take high plea deals, or that the judges presiding over their case is not prejudice. The entire law enforcement and Judicial system needs to be changed, but I feel that no one from the national to local government is taking that initiative to change a racists, and unjust system.