Photo: AFP
In the two decades since the September 11 attacks, America’s war on terror has reshaped not only foreign policy but the very streets of its own cities, especially Black communities. What started as a national response to global terrorism has evolved into the militarization of local police.
Federal funding for local law enforcement surged following the 2001 attacks. Through programs like the Pentagon’s 1033 Program, billions of dollars in surplus military gear, from armored vehicles to assault rifles and flashbang grenades, were transferred to local police departments across the country. By 2020, nearly 65% of U.S. law enforcement agencies had received military equipment under these programs, according to the Brookings Institution.
Police departments also began to embrace counterterrorism training, recruit military veterans, and adopt “warrior” mentalities that prioritized combat readiness over community connection.
“It fundamentally shifted the role of police from guardians to soldiers,” Dr. Jessica Katzenstein, an anthropologist who studies police militarization, said. “The idea of public safety was replaced by public control—particularly in communities of color.”
The use of SWAT teams also became routine after 9/11. According to a study in SAGE Journals, SWAT deployments have increased by over 1,400 percent since the 1980s, most often for executing search warrants. Research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that Black neighborhoods are disproportionately targeted for militarized police actions, even when local crime rates don’t justify such force.
Following the 2014 police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, protests were met with riot police, MRAPs (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles), and flashbang grenades, images that echoed those seen in war zones.
“It’s constantly under police surveillance,” one Ferguson resident said, per the Washington Post. “Military-grade equipment in people’s neighborhoods... not just anyone’s neighborhoods. Black people’s neighborhoods.”
Experts say the influx of military gear also came with an attitude shift of "warrior policing," where officers are trained to treat every interaction as potentially deadly, where de-escalation is optional, and where the community is perceived as a threat.
“When police departments are given tanks, they start to act like an occupying force,” Andrea Ritchie, author of "Invisible No More: Police Violence Against Black Women and Women of Color," said. “We need to start thinking about public safety not in terms of force, but in terms of care.”
Community members have reported heightened anxiety and trauma from police militarization.
“Militarized policing doesn’t just criminalize individuals—it criminalizes entire communities,” Anthony Normore, a criminal justice professor specializing in use-of-force policies, said. “It reinforces the narrative that Black life is inherently dangerous and disposable.”
As the nation approaches the 25th anniversary of 9/11, experts and activists say it’s time to rethink what public safety should look like.
“Militarized policing was never about terrorism—it was always about control,” Ritchie said. “And we can’t talk about justice in America until we dismantle that mindset.”
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