You make an interesting point. FR seems to indicate a rising tide of anti-cop sentiment even among those traditionally most likely to support LEOs.
Which makes me wonder if the tales of police brutality towards minorities many of us discounted were to a considerable extent true all along. Are the cops just starting to treat the rest of us the way they have always treated black people?
I don’t know the answer, but I think it’s a pretty important question.
Yes, an important question.
However, as I’ve seen it, most of the growing “anti cop” sentiment is centered on capabilities; that police forces are moving away from “policing” and instead moving toward paramilitary capabilities that can be used for suppression of the public.
Cops have always been “brutal”. The difference is that now more people are questioning them. Back in the day, in my small town, you mouthed off to the cops, you got your head busted. Had a lot less problems....
Cops here used to be very low paid. Minimum wage and all they could steal. As a respected local businessman and friend of the family(now deceased) said to me, “cops are garbage men who were under qualified.”
No knock raids and the militarization of the Police are the cause of much of the recent unpleasantness.