They come into most situations and arrest whoever is causing the most ruckus or is most uncooperative.
Who should they arrest then?
They act like frustrated, tired parents who just want some quiet when they come home from work. Right and wrong mean a lot less then just getting everyone out of their hair.
Take a domestic violence case. Who should the officer side with? If both parties are bloody and bruised who started it and who is at fault? Cases are never cut and dry, so they break it up, get one or the other out of the scene and hope that with distance they are willing to work it out themselves.
Then comes the counselor act, where the cops show up after a crime. They assure everyone the that criminal will be caught (rare unless they are caught in the act of another crime) and clean up the mess a bit after pretending to care for a bit.
When somebody you know and love has been hurt you don't want to hear the truth that you and I both know, you want to be comforted and thats a large part of the police officers job. To make people feel safe in a very unsafe world.
I'm sure my contempt for the police shows in this post
It sure does but remember the police are an imperfect system for an imperfect world. If we could have a perfect law and order system there would be no need for one.
, but I really do believe that as a whole we need more control of the people we allow to walk among us with guns.
I agree but as the need for police rises the pay must also rise or the quality must decrease. I would be in favor of a smaller better paid police force given more authority, better training, more education and more accountability.