Maybe if more police refused to participate in illegal, un-constitutional checkpoints and taxation disguised as traffic ticketing, there would be less criticism.
Many officers have forgotten that they are "peace officers" and are there to peacefully take care of things. Many officers no longer consider themselves "civilians" and instead are SWAT-team wannabes.
1) Have no rights, and
2) Are nothing more then jackbooted thugs.
All you need to do is check out the threads whenever a police officer is killed in the line of duty. You will see scores of posts immediately:
1) Defending the person who murdered the officer, and
2) Placing the blame on the police (and invoking Waco, Ruby Ridge and anything else they can think of) regardless of circumstances (it's always the jackbooted thugs fault).
Just so you know some of the folks you're dealing with.
While posting home addresses and SS#'s is crossing the line, I have no problem with posting background info, especially if it includes criminal behavior.
My nephew was a rookie cop in CA and witnessed his fellow officers tossing small bombs or grenades (can't remember which) into groups of homeless people, then laughing when they fled for their lives. He also witnessed them beating hand-cuffed prisoners (usually black, while the officers were white). When he couldn't look the other way anymore, he reported it to internal affairs. As far as I know, nothing ever came of his accusations, but he was threatened, feared for his life, and ended up quitting the force and moving far away.
When the decent cops (and there are many) quit hiding behind the blue wall that makes them co-conspirators, and speak out against the bad cops in their ranks, then the public will have more confidence.
And since this rant is too long already, I won't even mention how the cops in my rural community routinely lie under oath in order to back up a fellow officer's statement.