It may have been hyperbole, but there should be little dispute that you don't get "there" (East Germany) without first going through "here" (allowing cops growing powers to detain, inspect, and search, based on minimal motivation other than that they feel like it.)
A minimal speeding offense has zero relation to public safety, so is a mere pretext. A drug dog alerting is an opportunity for error, deception, and fraud. Cops have drugs to smear on the car to cause the dog to alert, can trigger an alert when there are no dogs, and can plant drugs (though not 250 pounds as in this case.)
Well, actually, that's the only difference I really have here. I agree that giving cops too much leeway encourages abuse. Or at least, with any power there will always be some abuse. Traffic cameras are of more concern to me than stopping for a traffic violation because EVERYONE is being watched.
But I would differ with you on the "here" to "there" argument. I don't think they are related. The power of the police state is not grassroots. By that I mean that giving cops ultimate police powers will not actually precipitate a police state on its own.
Yikes! Hold on. Don't flame me yet!
The state encroaches on rights gradually (boiling frog.) The people react periodically in backlashes (see Ahhnold.)
As long as they have an outlet on top (play one party against the other to balance power) then there's always a method to have the creeping progress of the State's Power rolled back in one fell swoop.
I worry about the parties molding into one, at which point, it may be all over. Meanwhile, I like to see arbitrary tax cuts defund the various departments...taking some of their oxygen and making them grow slower than I do.