In the distant past, SWAT raids were few and far between and were used for isolated events, mainly for what were considered dangerous situations. Even then these were often unnecessary and certainly threatening to liberty, but that was just the pretext to what has now become standard operating procedure.
The escalation of the militarization of local, state and federal police began some time ago, but initially grew at a relatively slow pace. The first SWAT team was assembled in the late 60s, and by 1975 there were 500 of them across the country. These were used for what was considered emergency situations, but the immoral war on drugs that began under Nixon and exploded under Reagan brought on a marriage of emergency raids and drug raids. SWAT raids including no-knock raids were becoming more common, and the onset of militarized policing was in place.
Since the 90s, SWAT raids have increased dramatically, and since the 9/11 attacks, attacks that in my opinion were certainly carried out with much complicity by the U.S. nation state heads, the full militarization of all police began. Now, that militarization has gone rampant, mainly with the help of DHS programs funding weapons transfers to state and local police. Police departments across the United States, even in many small towns, now look more like covert war operation teams than local police. They have been supplied with any number of military grade weapons, things ranging from automatic weapons, blackout armor plated attire, armored tanks with machine gun turrets used as troop carriers and much more.
Today, there are well over 220 SWAT raids per day or over 80,000 per year, and the numbers are still growing. This insanity has happened incrementally over many years as is usually the case with government infringements on liberty, but has escalated dramatically in the past two decades, especially over the past few years. That initial slow growth was by design, so now little is questioned by the average American and little about this tyranny is reported by the mainstream media.
A recent example of how tyrannical and invasive these raids have become can be found in this story from a few days ago. Remember that this happens over 200 times per day in this fascist oligarchy called America.
The scene was a small organic farm operation, a non-commercial operation at that, in Arlington, Texas. This farm was raided in a military like operation, including black helicopters and armored SWAT teams consisting of many members all carrying automatic weapons. The warrant, one that was not presented for two hours after the raid began, was a ruse, a fabricated litany of “dangerous” charges such as wood not stacked properly and an unpaid parking ticket. The raid lasted 10 hours, and confiscations by these cretin police included a few blackberry bushes, okra plants, tomatillo plants and some sunflowers. No marijuana or any other substances were found, but the innocent residents were held at gunpoint for the first 30 minutes of this 10 hour raid.
What is happening here has been the gradual indoctrination of the entire American populace into accepting this totalitarian rule and police state behavior as normal and necessary. Every transaction is captured and databased, every phone call is tapped, every phone or computer stroke is spied upon and virtually all activity is surveilled. The people have bought into this fraud, and resist little when the troops arrive. The martial law that consumed Boston after the marathon fiasco was proof enough that the people have become so cowardly and apathetic that virtually nothing the state does, no matter how invasive or violent, will provide them with enough courage to resist. In that particular case, over one million residents on orders from the state hid inside their homes afraid to do so much as stand in their own yard for fear of being jailed or shot by police.
The risk of all out police rule or widespread martial law has increased to a level that is almost impossible to fathom, but I think it will continue to worsen. Those of us willing to resist will be the first targeted by the nation state thugs, and once that happens, the rest of the sheep will simply fall into line until they are told what to do. A pathetic display to be sure, but one that will come to fruition unless a dramatic change toward liberty soon occurs among the masses. I will not hold my breath.