Nah - Police departments have whole sections of their budgets that have nothing to do with directly providing safety to the public - These sections are for new toys, better toys, updated toys, are increasing revenue type toys - (and all have very little to do with protecting the public any better - In fact, we were all protected much better years and years ago when police departments had far smaller budgets).
Agreed. Police departments are now basically just a revenue collection arm of the government. They live to seize money from speed traps and from drug busts. None of these operations actually make any of us any safer.
One of the main reasons that law enforcement is fascinated with the war on drugs is the revenue that comes in through seizures and the new toys the departments justify to fight it.
Wouldn't it be great if law enforcement actually starting focusing on crimes that impact everyday citizens like burglary, vandalism, car theft, rape and murder? Of course solving those crimes doesn't really bring money into the department and its hard to justify new toys for those crimes either.