Militarized Police State is the term used to describe a society in which the police are heavily armed with military-grade weapons, vehicles and tactics. This is a result of increased tensions between law enforcement and civilians, which have been exacerbated by incidents of terrorism and mass shootings.
The militarization of policing has been ongoing since the late 1960s when law enforcement agencies started to adopt a more aggressive approach in order to deal with civil unrest during the Civil Rights Movement. The concept was further developed during the 1980s as a result of rising drug-related violence and increasing crime rates, which led to an increased demand for more aggressive policing tactics.
Source: Militarized Police
Chaz on High 