Militarized Policing

Militarized Policing

Top of Mind with Julie Rose - Radio Archive, Episode 72 , Segment 1

Episode: Police, Posture, Movement, Simple Rules, and Virtual Reality

  • May 28, 2015 9:00 pm
  • 21:06 mins

Guest: Peter Kraska, Ph. D., Professor of the School of Justice Studies at Eastern Kentucky University  Law enforcement is Top of Mind today. As part of an effort to re-establish trust between police and civilians in communities across the country, the Obama Administration recently announced that local departments will be banned from acquiring some types of military-style equipment from the federal government. Federal grant money can’t be spent on the equipment either. The list includes: grenade launchers, tracked armored vehicles, armed aircraft, bayonets, and guns and ammunition of .50 caliber or higher.  And if you’re like many Americans, you may be wondering, “Why on earth does the police department in my city even need a grenade launcher or a tank?”  Pete Kraska has spent years documenting a shift toward military gear and tactics in US law enforcement and he joined us to speak about it.  “Our research also found that a lot of these teams formed in an ad-hoc way,” says Kraska—not the highly-trained, disciplined units we think of. “We absolutely need SWAT teams, but does every jurisdiction need one?”

Other Segments

Investing in Sleep

12 MINS

Guest: Michael Scullin, Ph. D., Director of the Sleep Neuroscience and Cognition Laboratory at Baylor University  People who burn the candle at both ends will sometimes say, “I’ll sleep when I’m old” – or even, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” There’s a persistent notion in America that time spent sleeping is time lost. Increasing research shows that sleep is important to health and brain function – particularly when we’re young. That link doesn’t appear to be so strong once we hit old age – which is probably lucky, since older people tend to sleep a lot less. The question on neuroscientist Michael Scullin’s is whether or not getting more sleep when we’re younger has carryover effects on brain function in old age?

Guest: Michael Scullin, Ph. D., Director of the Sleep Neuroscience and Cognition Laboratory at Baylor University  People who burn the candle at both ends will sometimes say, “I’ll sleep when I’m old” – or even, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” There’s a persistent notion in America that time spent sleeping is time lost. Increasing research shows that sleep is important to health and brain function – particularly when we’re young. That link doesn’t appear to be so strong once we hit old age – which is probably lucky, since older people tend to sleep a lot less. The question on neuroscientist Michael Scullin’s is whether or not getting more sleep when we’re younger has carryover effects on brain function in old age?

Virtual Reality

20 MINS

Guest: Jeremy Bailenson, Ph. D, Director of Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab, author of book Infinite Reality  Former college quarterbacks who made the draft are getting an introduction to life in the pros this week. NFL teams are holding their first on-the-field activities of the off season. Nothing beats time spent on the field for a quarterback honing his skills. But, suppose that turf is virtual?   Football coaches around the country are taking note of a new virtual reality sports trainer developed in Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab. The lab’s director Jeremy Bailenson joins me now by phone. He’s a renowned expert on virtual reality and author of the book Infinite Reality. Welcome.

Guest: Jeremy Bailenson, Ph. D, Director of Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab, author of book Infinite Reality  Former college quarterbacks who made the draft are getting an introduction to life in the pros this week. NFL teams are holding their first on-the-field activities of the off season. Nothing beats time spent on the field for a quarterback honing his skills. But, suppose that turf is virtual?   Football coaches around the country are taking note of a new virtual reality sports trainer developed in Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab. The lab’s director Jeremy Bailenson joins me now by phone. He’s a renowned expert on virtual reality and author of the book Infinite Reality. Welcome.