NORCO 80: The Aftermath - Guns And Police

The past year has seen a reckoning over the use of force and the militarization of our law enforcement agencies. But how did we get here?

The events of the botched Norco, California bank robbery and subsequent car chase in 1980 are often cited as a precursor to the militarized police force we see today. Over the course of several hours and 25 miles stretching across two counties, two of the Norco perpetrators and one sheriff’s deputy lost their lives. The robbers were heavily armed and vastly out-gunned law enforcement.

In the aftermath of that robbery and pursuit, police and sheriff's departments around the country began ramping up their supply of powerful firearms and use of enhanced surveillance methods. What changes can still be seen as a direct result of what happened in Norco over 40 years ago and how does the fallout continue to be felt today?

On May 20, LAist Studios Executive Producer and Norco 80 podcast host Antonia Cereijido hosted a roundtable discussion on the pervasiveness of gun culture and the militarization of the police force.

Special guests:

Michael Sierra-Arévalo, University of Texas, Austin Twitter: @michaelsierraaRecent Work: “American Policing and the Danger Imperative”, Law & Society Review

Chris Haxel, No Compromise podcast co-host

We also hosted a roundtable discussion on how an obsession with survivalism led to the Norco robbery and how this still resonates today as part of this event series. Watch the archive video of Norco 80: The Aftermath - Survivalism.

And catch up on the podcast here