The odds any of a variety of apocalyptic events occurring are not high (depending on who you ask). But, considering the possibility they could happen, and the subsequent impact on the future of policing (and to the country overall) has the effect of shifting our minds to a higher level of prepardeness for other, more likely-to-occur events.

Under various apocalyptic scenarios, American policing would experience dramatic transformation. A nuclear war, global pandemic, asteroid strike, cyberattack or total collapse of the national power grid would cause policing’s focus to change drastically from routine policing to emergency management and civil defense; traditional duties like investigating crimes may become less important due to priority given to maintaining public order, distributing essential supplies or possibly even enforcing martial law - leaving police adaptability, ethical considerations and resourcefulness severely tested, creating logistical as well as moral challenges.

Police would face additional difficulties due to the potential for significant loss of life among both civilians and members of police organizations alike, creating enormous strain on resources and personnel as they make hard choices about where best to allocate limited resources. Police officers would likely become first responders during a societal crisis with their actions having an outsized effect either mitigating or exacerbating it.

Click here to read the first in our series of discussions on how to think about preparedness and policing.