We may already be there.
Cops had a "peace officer" mentality once upon a time. Now the recruits seem to have the "law enforcement officer" instilled in them(training) with an us-against-them(experience) outlook.
Police are no longer employed as just another citizen with a badge.
Don't get me wrong. I respect the law. I take issue with how it's enforced at taxpayer expense.
President Bush's comments last night about "more cops" bothers me. I'm all for more enforcement of laws against terrorism and violence, but I'm afraid that a lot of this additional policing will be more harrassment of generally well behaved citizens over issues like seatbelts, .08 alcohol levels, etc. It's like suburban cops hassle you over petty offenses while city cops are too busy with real crimes to bother with the small stuff.