I agree with you. I think the sympathy with the criminal element is a “Civilization Wide” problem part of our collapse if you please.
I don’t believe every person arrested is guilty by default. But far more often, when someone is arrested in someone else’s backyard at 0200 and they say they weren’t doing anything, my meter tends to peg out.
Cops are human, and like doctors, 50% of them have to graduate from cop school in the lower half of their class. Doesn’t make them bad, but just like there are good people and bad people, smart people and dumb people, there are good cops and bad cops, smart cops and dumb cops.
I think people who paint them as an adversary right off the bat are making a mistake. I think you have to have enough common sense to make judgements, and just using a blanket rule as many do is an invitation to an escalation of an otherwise harmless encounter.
Most of the time, even today, most cops are just trying to do their job.
On your point of the “civilization wide” aspect, I agree.
There are far, FAR too many parents today who, when presented with bad behavior by their offspring, are more likely to gear up for combat regardless of any factual information, and instead of questioning the behavior of their child, question the motives, judgement, and behavior of those who bring the matter to their attention.
And I agree it is seen at a wider societal level than ever before at all levels of bad behavior.