Cop Cities in America: An Actualization of the Police State

The U.S. has become a fully operational police state, where militarized police, warrantless surveillance, and sprawling Cop Cities work to suppress dissent and control citizens.

The idea that a police state is some future, looming issue is a dangerous mischaracterization of reality.

From the establishment of the first police force in America, a runaway slave patrol, to the present-day collaborative training between U.S. law enforcement and the IDF, the fortification of police state has happened so subtly and so subversively that most didn’t notice it encroaching.

Like so many comfy lobsters in an increasingly warming pot, we watched as infringement after infringement eroded away the last of our rights regarding privacy, freedom from self-incrimination, and even free speech.

How it Started: Erosion of Civil Liberties Post-9/11

From the Obama-era NDAA allowing for indefinite detention of Americans to the normalization of warrantless surveillance, freedoms have continued to fall one by one.

In the wake of 9/11, the American public learned that the perceived safety it enjoyed at the top of the imperial food chain was nothing but an illusion.

As a result, they watched permissively as the ensuing Patriot Act legislation stripped away constitutional protections related to privacy, freedom of speech and even right to a fair trial, all in the name of increased national security.

Unfortunately, due to a perfect storm of misinformation, paranoia, and (perhaps) an unspoken fear in the backs of the collective conscience that the international violence the country had been exporting for centuries was finally coming home to roost, nobody really put up much of a fight.

In the meanwhile, the penchant of American police to carry out discriminatory harassment and the extra-judicial killings of civilians, has continued unimpeded.

These murder junkies, emboldened as ever, are somehow always justified for their evil deeds under the laziest feigned pretense of “public safety.”

This, despite the fact that approximately 40% of murders, 66% of rapes, 71% of robberies, and 48% of aggravated assaults go unsolved every year.

How it’s Going: Cop Cities and A Network of Control

In the past decade, we’ve entered a new phase of this dismal reality; one in which the carceral state has begun to establish so-called “Cop Cities” at a rate of proliferation on par with that at which the U.S. has set up military bases the world over.

Across the nation, militarized police forces, equipped with military-grade weapons, high-tech surveillance, and warrantless spy technology, have infiltrated American cities.

These weapons, field tested on impoverished, oppressed regions, are objectively unnecessary under virtually any situation in civilian life.

Therefore, one must wonder why, for a nation that purports to be a beacon of freedom, it feels the need to amass a standing military as a defense between itself and its citizenry.

States with Cop Cities planned or in development. Those with no plans in yellow. 

This newest phase is characterized by the creation of sprawling, billionaire-backed training centers, where police officers train in military tactics designed for urban warfare rather than community safety.

The same tactics the U.S. has exported to Latin America for decades are now coming home, with the construction of Cop Cities throughout metropolitan America.

These Cop Cities effectively serve as nerve centers for training officers to suppress dissent and manage civil unrest.

With every new facility that emerges, the line between public safety and authoritarian control becomes increasingly blurred.

The construction of Atlanta’s Cop City, for instance, is an example of how rampantly taxpayer money is being misspent. Spanning 381 acres and costing $90 million, this facility is designed to train police officers in military-style tactics.

Atlanta’s Cop City: A Case Study in Control

In particular, Atlanta’s Cop City stands out as a prime example of how militarization, surveillance, and state control come together. It also serves as an example of how history repeats itself.

To add an element of bitter irony, the construction will destroy green spaces that once served as prison labor farms—only after the forced removal of the indigenous Muscogee—reinforcing historic systemic injustices while training officers to perpetuate them.

Located in a predominantly Black community, the construction of the facility has been further decried as an implementation of environmental racism.

The resulting destruction of the forest’s tree canopy isn’t just a blight on the community, it’s also cause for environmental concern.

Atlanta’s Cop City is uprooting portions of the Weelaunee Forest has added an environmental factor, which, wouldn’t you know it, has led to deadly violence against environmental activists that parallels what the US unleashed on aforementioned Latin American regions by way of exporting our uniquely American brand of terroristic policing abroad.

Rendering of a mock city in Atlanta’s Cop City

The imagery is striking—mock urban battle zones, armored vehicles, and surveillance drones—all meant to prepare officers for conflict within their own borders. Rather than serve and protect, this version of law enforcement seems poised to contain and control.

The transition from public servant to militarized enforcer has been gradual but undeniable.

What started as local departments receiving surplus military equipment through programs like the Department of Defense's 1033 Program has evolved into something far more insidious.

The militarization of police isn't just about the equipment they carry—it's about the mindset that comes with it.

It's the transformation of police forces into units focused more on suppressing dissent than maintaining public safety.

It’s a mindset shaped by the indifference of war, where the dehumanization of combatants extends to civilians.

It should come as no surprise, then, that police departments across the country are chock full of PTSD-addled veterans who bring this desensitized approach back with them from war.

Thus, it is no mystery to how such a person could see another with such indifference that taking their life becomes a thoughtless act—especially when they know they can hide behind the badge for impunity.

A Police State in Full Swing

Under the1033 Program. local police departments have been receiving billions in military-grade equipment for decades.

This surplus includes everything from armored vehicles to surveillance technologies designed for combat scenarios, under the guise of “public service.”

The result is clear: police forces now more closely resemble military units than community officers.

Training has followed the same path. Many U.S. police officers receive military-style training both domestically and abroad, often through exchange programs with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

That is to say that the tactics developed for subjugation and the maintaining of apartheid conditions in occupied territories are now being imported into American cities, where they are deployed against civilians.

This training has nothing to do with public safety, it’s about controlling populations and stifling dissent.

Spy Tech That Requires No Warrant

Perhaps the most alarming aspect of this police state is the use of sophisticated surveillance technology, often deployed without warrants. Stingray tracking devices are among the most troubling examples.

These devices mimic cell towers to intercept and monitor cell phone data, allowing police to track citizens' movements and gather personal information without court approval.

Police departments nationwide—from Tempe to Baltimore—have been using these devices for years with little oversight.

The Stingray is just one piece of the surveillance puzzle.

The expansion of spy tech also includes “Dirt Boxes,” automated license plate readers and facial recognition software.

These technologies are often used in tandem, allowing police to monitor citizens in real time, tracking their movements and behaviors without their knowledge.

The use of these tools marks a significant erosion of privacy and civil liberties, further entrenching the police state.

City of Phoenix: The Future of Surveillance

To see how widespread and advanced this technology has become, one need look no further than my hometown. of Phoenix.

The city has recently invested heavily in surveillance infrastructure, with the introduction of high-tech crime-fighting tools that are straight out of a dystopian novel.

Phoenix Police Department has rolled out Strongwatch Freedom on the Move, a mobile surveillance truck equipped with advanced cameras that can capture footage from far distances and operate autonomously.

This allows law enforcement to set up shop wherever they want and monitor citizens in real time—without requiring probable cause or a warrant. You might think that’s the end of the story in Phoenix, but you’d be wrong.

The city has also unveiled its Real-Time Operation Center (RTOC), a high-tech hub for law enforcement surveillance.

With access to live surveillance feeds from cameras across the city and the ability to integrate facial recognition software, the RTOC has positioned Phoenix at the forefront of American cities using this technology to spy on civilians without judicial oversight.

The Surveillance Age Is Here

Armed with these technologies, the police state oversees real-time monitoring of the city’s streets and public spaces.

The system can track individuals based on their appearance and behaviors, allowing cops to keep tabs on any person they like.

The integration of these technologies into everyday law enforcement practices allows the state to monitor citizens as though the entire city were one big surveillance network.

Given the problems with disproportionate policing of people of color, as well as the well-documented abuse of power by law enforcement,

The Police State Is Now

The narrative that we are "on the verge" of a police state is dangerously misleading. Militarized police, warrantless surveillance, and sprawling Cop Cities aren’t warning signs of a coming storm—they are evidence that the storm has already arrived.

The police state is here, fully operational, and expanding.

As the state continues to use violence abroad to test and maintain its global power, it inevitably begins to view its domestic populations, especially marginalized groups, through the same lens of control and suppression.

This phenomenon is a real-life imperial boomerang, which makes the words of people like Edward Said and Franz Fanan even more prescient in hindsight.

As Americans await the gyroscopic return of that boomerang, it would be beneficial to start cultivating a resistance to the despotism that’s coming with it.