7/24/2019 2016 MCCRC testimony for HB521, SWAT team
reporting
1/3
February 23, 2016 testimony to the House Judiciary Committee
in SUPPORT of HB521, "An Act concerning Public Safety - SWATTea!
- Reorting an# $iitation!"
Thomas Nephew, ember, ont!omery County Ci"i# $i!hts
Coa#ition
%contact information withhe#d&'pea(in! for the acti"ist
!roup )ont!omery County Ci"i# $i!hts Coa#ition)and for myse#f, *
stron!#y support this #e!is#ation+
*ts hard to be#ie"e that there was a time, not so "ery #on! a!o,
when a -os.n!e#es po#ice inspector /soon to be po#ice chief named
ary# ates had notyet concei"ed of )'pecia# eapons and Tactics) /'.T
teams+ 4r that therewas a time when systematic no5(noc( raids
"io#atin! the presumption ofinnocence, the Fourth .mendment, the
)Cast#e octrine,) and the spirit ofthe Third .mendment were not
e"en a !#eam in the eye of Nionadministration operati"es 55 or the
emocrats who went a#on! with him+
*ts te##in! that '.T teams were a response to the atts riot of
176855a riotthat was spar(ed in part by the (ind of )beat 9rst, as(
:uestions #ater)po#icin! that has brou!ht so many ary#and citi;ens
to these hearin!s today+ary# atess a##e!ed so#ution pro"ed to be
e"en worse po#icin!< dep#oyin!increasin!#y mi#itari;ed po#ice
forces 9rst in -os .n!e#es, and a## too soonacross the country+ Not
at a## coincidenta##y, '.T teams were mode#ed oncounterinsur!ency
forces thousands of mi#es away in =ietnam+1'.T teamsare,
fundamenta##y, .merican authority at war with o"erwhe#min!
forcea!ainst its own citi;ens+ 'ome of us may accept, >ustify,
or e"en we#comethat, but none of us shou#d deny it+
4f course, this bi## doesnt see( to end no5(noc( raids or '.T
teamdep#oyments, or re"erse o"erni!ht the re!rettab#e series of
court decisions,mis!uided po#icies, and po#itica# (na"ery that !a"e
rise to '.T teams andmi#itari;ed po#icin!+
*nstead, e#e!ate 'miths ece##ent bi## main#y proposes to resume
countin!how often and under what #e!a# authorities these e"ents
ta(e p#ace, andwhat their basic conse:uences are+
*d say that was a !ood start 55 ecept that from 2010 to 201?,
ary#andonce a#ready did that, #eadin! the country in actua##y
#oo(in! at and countin!how often its po#ice forces were dep#oyed
#i(e arine p#atoons to ser"esearch warrants and the #i(e+ The data
were te##in!
