there are some good cops. There are too many bad cops, many of whom were not bad people before they became cops. Look up the Standford prison study and you'll understand what I mean. I think the power we give them as the enforcers of the law has expanded to enforcers of social norms and morals. Cops scare me and I dont trust them. I used to, but after 6 months on crutches as a result of DC's finest it would have been ridiculous for my views not to change.
Believe it or not some societies live without fear of those that they pay to protect them. It is possible for the police and the people to live in harmony, and where they do everyone is much safer because of it. In order to have that kind of lifestyle here we would need to have widespread changes in many different aspects of social policy, reform, and interpretations of inequality and how to implement human rights as a part of US culture. I am not optimistic of any such thing happening any time soon.