http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posse_Comitatus_Act
This was 1878... long time ago.
The
Posse Comitatus Act is an often misunderstood and misquoted
United States federal law
The statute only directly addresses the US Army (and is understood to equally apply to the US Air Force as a derivative of the US Army); it does not reference, and thus does not implicitly apply to nor restrict units of the National Guard under federal authority from acting in a law enforcement capacity within the United States. The
Navy and
Marine Corps are prohibited by a Department of Defense directive, not by the Act itself.
[1][2] The
Coast Guard, under the Department of Homeland Security, is exempt from the Act.
On September 26, 2006,
President Bush urged Congress to consider revising federal laws so that U.S. armed forces could restore public order and enforce laws in the aftermath of a natural disaster, in the wake of
Hurricane Katrina.
Section 1076 is titled "Use of the Armed Forces in major public emergencies." It provided that:
The President may employ the armed forces... to... restore public order and enforce the laws of the United States when, as a result of a natural disaster, epidemic, or other serious public health emergency, terrorist attack or incident, or other condition... the President determines that... domestic violence has occurred to such an extent that the constituted authorities of the State or possession are incapable of maintaining public order..