Have you ever considered that some cops are people who want to stop crime? And not be part of a crime? I’ve seen many people texting and driving, and every once in a while, I’ll wish I was a cop so I could pull them over and chew them out.
I've also seen plenty of cops flash their lights on the highway when traffic is slow just so they can get to lunch or wherever the hell faster, and then immediately turn the lights back off when they can go back to doing 80 in a 55 without people in front of them. If that isn't a casual and blatant abuse of power I don't know what is.
We'd like to think most cops are "people who want to stop crime, the good guys!" but it often seems to just be people that get off on the power-trip. Even then, what crime are they trying to stop by camping behind trees to meet their ticket quotas for speeders when I can't even remember the last time I've seen a cop go the speed limit themselves?
But to quote someone else that also has far more power than they should: "some, I assume, are good people"--this does not mean that there is no cause for serious concern with the operations of the "thin blue line".
You're confusing thug with psycho. Someone needs to enforce the law. Just travel to a place where police don't enforce laws and you'll see how dangerous it is to even go to the nearest store, and live in constant fear.
I don't believe that, and willing to bet source numbers will show otherwise. Similar situation in SF, and I have recently observed two shopliftings at local stores, which I have never seen before. If officers only respond to $1000 damage or above, thugs know to only take $900 from the store. If police doesn't do anything, no one else CAN because the same laws comes back and bite you in the ass.
Our criminal justice system has a heavy financial penalty component, I can see how this nickle and diming of certain economically at risk communities can result in more crime.
Ferguson is a great example, where the city made a large percentage of it's revenue overpolicing minorities (in many cases even planting drugs etc... As video evidence and DOJ investigations showed). This resulted in many escelations of fines/warrants/arrests for not being able to pay simple traffic/jaywalking etc fines.
Putting people in a position where they have to choose between paying rent/medical bills /food or escalating fines (for non payment). Also in many cases, if they could afford a lawyer these outcomes would be very different.
MLK talked about the "2 Americas", this is what the other one looks like.
"A third study of older and more experienced officers found a rate of 24 percent, indicating that domestic violence is two to four times more common among police families than American families in general."
