At one time the fact that the people outgunned the police was irrelevant.
How could this ever be irrelevant?
Because the police force was tiny if it existed at all, with many places having just a single person filling the role we think of as law enforcement today. Definitely fully embedded and vested in their communities.
One traditional role of the militia is the posse. The idea seems so corny today, thanks to westerns, but it was once a cornerstone of American law enforcement. Even places with cops had more reliance on the citizens in their locale than we see today.
Of course it also helped a lot that there were many fewer laws and they made sense to those under them.
Another thing complicating the relationship today is many places have given the police the exclusive power of law enforcement, and made it clear that the citizen's assistance is unwanted beyond reporting the crime. Ever notice that those places have a lot of crime too?
How could this ever be irrelevant?
Because the police force was tiny if it existed at all, with many places having just a single person filling the role we think of as law enforcement today. Definitely fully embedded and vested in their communities.
One traditional role of the militia is the posse. The idea seems so corny today, thanks to westerns, but it was once a cornerstone of American law enforcement. Even places with cops had more reliance on the citizens in their locale than we see today.
Of course it also helped a lot that there were many fewer laws and they made sense to those under them.
Another thing complicating the relationship today is many places have given the police the exclusive power of law enforcement, and made it clear that the citizen's assistance is unwanted beyond reporting the crime. Ever notice that those places have a lot of crime too?
