Police forces are becoming increasingly militarized. SWAT teams are dispatched for routine tasks. Local police everywhere are obtaining military equipment, equipment they will find a reason to use. Fun toys must be played with.
Officers, the cooler ones, like to refer to themselves as “operators”. It is not a good trend. Even the New York Times has belatedly taken notice.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/09/us/war-gear-flows-to-police-departments.html>