Tactical Porn destroying the Law Enforcement profession

Pick up any police magazine, go to any police web page, the predominate images will be SWAT teams. The majority of stories will be about tactical readiness or will be breakdowns of recent shooting events. This so called “Tactical Porn” is brining an end to police professionalism and heralding in police militarization.

SWAT Team shooting

A SWAT team member shooting

Years ago police publications were filled with articles about bike patrol, communication skills, and this new fad thing called the Internet. Images if Guns and SWAT teams were present but not to the level they are today.

In the last decade coverage of topics out side of firearms, physical defense and SWAT have been drastically reduced. According to one magazine editor it is all about sales.

“Look community policing is cool. I like that concept. But face it sex sells and SWAT teams are sexy as hell. I put a photo of a SWAT team on the cover and people open the magazine to read it. I put two cops having coffee with citizens on the cover and it never gets opened. I make money selling ad space, ad space only sells if people have a reason to open the magazine.”

CallTheCops talked to multiple police administrators who agree that tactical porn is corrupting officers. Multiple administrators told us that young cops today don’t want to problem solve, they just want to run-n-gun. None were willing to go on record as they either write or aspire to write, for policing publications and fear burning bridges.

Off the record one Police Captain said “When ever I get an announcement about training for bike patrol, CSI skills, or leadership development I ask who wants to go. All I get is people looking at me like I am speaking an alien language. But the second an announcement for SWAT training comes out everyone comes to my office asking go be allowed to go.”

The issue is even seeping into Criminal Justice degree programs. In December of 2013 the first college announced a degree program in SWAT Science. Now six months later a dozen other colleges are gearing up similar programs.

One magazine editor left us with this, “Hey if you find a way to make ‘coffee with a cop’ look cool I will do story after story about it. Until then I will print stories and photos of what will gain me readers and subscribers.”

About Staff

The staff at the CallTheCops are all people who now or at one time did work as police, firefighters, in EMS and even dispatch.