Video: The Militarization Of American Police

The militarization and paramilitarization of US police forces is the subject of a major investigation by civil liberties groups, who say the overuse of Special Weapons and Tactics, or SWAT teams, has hurt innocent people and made communities less safe. Our reporter Alice Ollstein spoke to one victim of such a SWAT raid—the mayor of a small town just outside Washington, DC. Based on suspicion of marijuana possession, armed police broke down his door with a battering ram, held his family at gunpoint, shot and killed his two dogs, handcuffed and interrogated him for hours, and left without charging anyone with a crime. Now, he and many others are fighting for new laws that will restrain police and hold them accountable.