Divided Loyalties: Ethical Challenges for America's Law Enforcement in Post 9/11 America (Divided Loyalties: Professional Standards and Military Duty‪)‬

The martial trend within American police agencies may have begun nearly twenty years prior to the events of 9/11, but the terrorist attacks and a decade of military conflict since bear significant responsibility for the widespread, integrated militarization of our nation "S law enforcement. Military appearance, tactics, operations, weaponry and culture, including the rise and normalization of police paramilitary units, are all components of the country's post-9/11 counterterrorism efforts and contributors to what may be viewed as an identity crisis among police officers. The crisis of identity arises when officers become torn between their sworn duty to protect and serve the community consistent with the tenets of the U.S. Constitution, on the one hand, and the national call to arms in the "'war on terror" on the other. The tension experienced by many arises when officers must decide which interest receives their loyalty and which standard guides their choice of decision. Unfortunately, the increased militarization of America's civilian police force is impinging upon the professional ethics of its officers. I. INTRODUCTION