[antod]

An opinion from a non American: This is what you get when you focus on tactics without focussing on strategy. Reactive vs proactive. By splitting the American police into many many different layered jurisdictions with no overall plans or even goals, there will never be a coordinated strategic view of anything.

The US military is far more centralised and (despite its many faults) aware of planning for wider strategic issues.

Many police depts don't seem to want to face up to the fact that the tactical problems they have now have root causes in their own short sighted policies, incentives and behaviour. If they carry on like they are, these problems will only get worse.

Other western countries with more centralised police hierarchies seem to put more effort into community relations and other more strategic stuff, even if it means less 'effective' tactics ie less control, arrests and convictions etc.