Most definitely they are involved and every day more localized police forces receive militarized training. Many times you will have multi-county participation in raids. No-knock raids have increased by thousands of percent in the past decades, rampant reports of the "wrong house", yet people are s till terrorized unjustly, or their dogs are shot, or their children have guns pointed at them. Worst case scenario, the police break in and immediately murder the suspect because he's carrying something that may be, or "could be" a weapon. Let's not take into account they just busted into a private house unannounced in the middle of the fucking night. Hell, at times there aren't even suspicions of a weapon. Even if there are, is it unreasonable to expect that a person would, in the dark of night hearing a loud, UNANNOUNCED and unexpected noise/infiltration grab the closest item, even if it is not traditionally a weapon (see example where police busted in, immediately murdered man with golf club)? I think not. However police are granted clearance on the grounds that the suspects represent a "reasonable" threat to them without regard of who busted into the home at an inappropriate hour (many of these non violent offenders) without any notification or announcing of the presence of law enforcement.
Even if the local sheriffs were not involved, they are the FOOT SOLDIERS in the war on drugs, which wasn't even my primary point rather a singular one of several.
