Sharpstoner, I completely agree. They serve a necessary function in society and the fact of the matter is, if marijuana was legal, there would be no small-time marijuana laws to enforce. Cops are dicks, and we all know that going in; but I ultimately think both sides misunderstand each other's intentions and persona's.
As Lumpkins experienced, cops are looking to catch people breaking the law... which we all are (unjustifiably so, but still knowingly). It is really sad that all too often the police resort to tactics that are less-than-honest to achieve that measure, it is doubly sad that our country supports this kind of law-enforcement at every level.