Someone might reasonably argue that a community which elected Jerry Springer as mayor needs to be watched closely, but I am not moved by this extreme example. Groups of riot-geared policeman roaming the streets are never a sight that makes my conservative heart skip with joy. I understand those reasonable people in Cinci who are upset at the shooting of an unarmed nineteen year-old black man who was resisting arrest by flight, but I am also disturbed at seeing police take over an entire neighborhood to restore order. Watch me all day and you won't find me cheering. I prefer my police eating donuts and patrolling public school restrooms.
Law enforcement is a necessity in any society.
At the school where I work, we have lots of rules, and most of them are needed. The efficient enforcement of those rules, however, is another story. Yet, I believe the rules must be enforced, otherwise we will quickly descend into a level of barbarism that could attract a live television crew from the Discovery Channel. And I believe the laws of the City of Cincinnati must be enforced, even though it will be an imperfect and sometimes painful necessity. So the Libertarian in me is not excited about what is happening in Cincinnati, but the largest reason the police are roaming the streets in riot gear has nothing to do with the threat of a police state.