Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe says she was "surprised and shocked" to learn that a Waterloo Regional Police Service sniper was deployed as part of law enforcement's efforts to manage an unsanctioned street party during St. Patrick's Day weekend in the city's university district.
There is a pretty strong argument, I think, that it is impersonating a police officer, when a federal agent implies that they are NYPD. Federal personnel are allowed to represent themselves generally as police or law enforcement, and have been doing so for many years. What could set this incident apart are two factors: First, if the agents described themselves as NYPD in particular, that moves from vague insinuation to direct impersonation.
As a veteran of the war on terror, I have spent the past year watching Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers expand their operations across the country on a heretofore unprecedented scale and with a new faux-military bearing. From equipment to weapons to tactics, ICE and other immigration enforcement bodies want to be seen as combat forces carrying out their missions.
During the arrest, officers in tactical gear use a stun gun on one man and put another in a chokehold while belittling the situation, saying: 'You've got no rights here. You're a migo, brother.'
