Yes, I was also severely disturbed by that photo. There are really good and important reasons for the separation of military and police, and the blurring of that line over the past two decades is going to have massive ramifications that I don’t think American society fully appreciates.

As an aside, I have severe qualms about the article (see my other comment) but that doesn’t mean there isn’t truth in that photo, nor does it mean that someone highlighting that such as yourself should be downvoted.

A problem with having your police look like a miltary occupation force is that people who oppose the police (for political and other reasons) will treat them like that.

That and it separates them from the community they are supposed to serve, that's why I hate it when I see police call members of the public civilians, police are civilians.

Robert Peel understood this nearly 200 years ago.

That what you get when there is constant glorification of military.

No. A police officer can politely and non-violently deal with a citizen.

As for the military... I've met some Special Forces officers. They were dedicated and crazy-smart (senior NCOs), and I'm happy to pay them to do their jobs, and possibly even call them friends, but they should not be police, and I don't think they would want to be.

I agree. It just seems that police is converting into a wannabe military force because it's cool to wear camouflage, helmets and big guns.