Beg to differ. Many, many police are dedicated hard working individuals who believe in what they are doing and risk life and limb daily. However, too many are a hop, skip and jump from being jack booted thugs.
I have sat on juries where the "skin headed" cop was obviously lying and it took all had to convince the other jurors who were ready to convict because the cop said the guy did it.
I agree.
Look, I was rasied to respect police officers and I always have but even I am deeply concerned at the militarization of our "Civilian" police forces. I whole heartedly agree that many police officers have long forgotten their job is to "Protect and SERVE" and not to be a source of income for the local government by collecting fines. Since when has law enforcement become a for profit business as most local government use them for today by depending on police generated fines for income in their budgets? That seems to provide a disingenuous motive to "Protect and Serve".
Also think about this. When I was a kid cops wore a shirt and a tie and their uniforms appeared very "civilian" with the exception of their badge and their gun. Today's street cops wear "Tactical Military" type uniforms and a swat team appear no different than special forces units.
If you put on a shirt and tie does that make you feel more or less agress than when you don paratrooper boots and an MPs uniform with your tactical gunbelt? That switch from "Civilian Enforcement" to "Military Police" is achieved just that easily. Even the haircut of cop has an affect on his behavior and attitude. When I was a kid, cops had regular haircuts. The only stipulation was that a cops hair had to be cut above his ears and above his collar. Cops today look like Marine recruits and act like it too. I know police have a dangerous job but policing the public is much different than policing soldiers. All too often our police forces are manned with former MPs and soldiers instead of civilians from the community as it was years ago. I love our military but someone who is a military mind set and militarily trained is not always best suited for civilian law enforcement. The public is not the enemy to be eliminated for every possible infraction. Civilians do not have to uphold the standards of a military corp in their everyday lives or else be thrown in the brig for conduct unbecoming. Civilian policing is a wholly different mindset.
Example: I remember when a cop would catch some teenagers out drinking beer. The cop would speak with them and if the kids were not completely wasted, distructive, dangerous or difficult but were just being teenagers, the cop would take away the beer and take their car keys and call their parents to come get them. As a result, the kids got dealt with by their parents without having to be put in jail with a criminal record and the kids respected the police for not ruining their young lives. Today, its straight to jail, no questions asked, a big Hoowah by the force for bagging another DUI and raking in money for the city and a kid is placed in a cell with other much harder criminals until he gets bail and then he is forced to pay his fine and to hang-out with even more repeat drunks and drug offenders doing community service and having psycho therapy sessions with these losers who expose these impressionable kids to even worse habits and re-enforce the idea that "The Man" is picking on them. That kid ends up back in jail nearly everytime.
I don't advocate going light on drunk driving but I do believe that some discretion should be used before placing an otherwise good kid into the criminal justice system where he will probably be made worse. "Civilian Police" can see the difference between a kid who has made an error in judgement and a criminal that should be prosecuted to the limits of the law. "Military Police" do not have or practice that discretion because any violator is the enemy to be eliminated.
If all the prosecutor had was the words of LEOs, I'd be heavily diposed to vote 'not guilty'. Too many prosecutors and cops will lie to get a conviction.