Comment by Semiapies

You don't even need that one officer who's a MidEast veteran. Since the 1980s and 1990s, police have been militarizing. The only real change this century has been the explosion of surplus gear given to smaller police departments since 9/11. The mentality long predates that.

These guys were gearing up - and psyching up - to fight the War on Drugs long before any War on Terror.