What exactly is a “police state?” A state under the rule of law? I thought that’s what conservatives valued.
Rule of law without law ENFORCEMENT is a farce.
The U.S. Postal Service Sniper Team is a good place to start looking if you are trying to find the police state.
A police state is where the individual is presumed guilty at all times.
Limited government orders the State to declare that individuals are innocent until proven guilty.
Both under “rules of law” but the context is different.
Rule of law without law ENFORCEMENT is a farce.
I would submit that your assumptions are wrong. First, your definition of a police state is wrong. And no, it's not at all what conservatives value. One major point that some are missing is that former "law and order" type conservatives now no longer assume that cops are lawful or orderly. Many, like myself, no longer give cops the benefit of the doubt - even though for most of my life I certainly did. -- And your final fatal flaw is the assumption that enforcement is really enforcing LAW. Sometimes enforcement is just raw brute power.