In the wake of recent protests in Ferguson, Mo., over the shooting death of an unarmed African-American teenager at the hands of a white police officer, a national dialogue has emerged about whether local and state law enforcement, in tactics and appearance, too closely resembles the military. Night after night, the perception that police were heavy-handed in their response to the protests, amid sporadic looting, grew as a live feed showed law enforcement in a standoff with Americans. The images included police officers rolling in on Humvees with mounted sniper rifles, decked out in full body armor and firing tear gas to disperse crowds, and shocked Americans of all racial, ethnic and political stripes.