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Investigating Ferguson and the Militarization of America's Police

In this episode from season three, Thomas Morton headed to Ferguson at the height of the protests and checked out how SWAT teams were being trained.

In anticipation of the upcoming fourth season of our HBO show which will premiere this February, we are releasing all of season three for free online. Watch all the episodes here, and don't miss the premiere of season four on Friday, February 5, at 11PM on HBO.

The fatal shooting of Michael Brown in the summer of 2014 sparked a series of protests in Ferguson, Missouri, which quickly spread across the country. The violent response to these protests by Ferguson's law enforcement set off a fierce debate about the increasing militarization of the American police force.

In this episode from season three of our HBO show that originally aired, Thomas Morton heads to Ferguson at the height of the protests to get an in-depth look at the situation on the ground. He speaks with experts about the current training that US police and SWAT teams undergo, and learns about how they are now being given military-grade equipment to police their communities.

We also visit El Salvador with VICE co-founder Suroosh Alvi to investigate the increasing gang violence and deteriorating living conditions that are motivating a mass migration to the US border. Alvi himself travels the dangerous route that these migrants take as they attempt to make their way to the relative safety of the United States.