Maybe it's because I've been watching "Person of Interest" and "The Wire", and am really curious about "Watchmen", but I've become increasingly fascinated by the kind of stories we tell about policemen and what it says about...well, us as a culture.
I think so far, "The Wire" has the best take on it. There are a LOT of people out there really trying to do good work, trapped in a political system that rewards corruption and is too focused on short-term, small-potatoes changes.
That corruption definitely trickles down through the ranks, which is how you end up with brutal officers who think the people they're meant to serve are actually the enemy. I think these folks are trapped in an impossible position and try easing that dissonance through...
...drugs and alcohol, misplaced anger, a sense of entitlement and being the victim whenever there's pushback. Any job that forces you to stare at people on their worst days all the time will take its toll.
It might be a weird take, but I think police need more emotional support
This doesn't mean that police shouldn't be held accountable for their actions. OF COURSE this absolutely needs to happen. That needs to be done to restore *everyone's* faith in the system.
But we can also recognize the enormous emotional toll the job takes on people.
The day-to-day challenges are hard enough, but when you combine that with the feeling that any positive difference you make is this Sisyphusian task that inevitably leaves you right back where you started has to be...kind of soul-crushing. Any good intentions are just ground out.