[trothamel]

Why don't you think that we have police by consent in America? The police are generally accountable to elected people. What's more, they are generally fairly popular. When asked:

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way the police in the United States are doing their job?"

65% say yes, vs 26% no. https://www.pollingreport.com/crime.htm

[icebraining]

Curiously, that page has a poll that seems relevant:

"How concerned would you be about your own privacy if U.S. law enforcement starts using unmanned drones with high tech cameras and recording equipment? Would you be very concerned, somewhat concerned, only a little concerned, or not at all concerned?"

             Very concerned  Somewhat concerned  Only a little concerned  Not at all concerned  Unsure
  7/25-30/13 49%             20%                 15%                      14%                   2%

(Not disagreeing with your point, mind you)

[harimau777]

While I don't think that "police by consent" would require everyone to consent, if one in four people don't then I think that at least calls it into question.

It would be interesting to see the numbers broken down by jurisdiction and demographic. This is just speculation, but I would guess that some jurisdictions and demographics are policed by consent but that many are not.

[tristram_shandy]

Policing in America is a mostly modern invention, and the first public full-time police force is less than 200 years old: before the police, towns would typically have a night watch made up of citizens who volunteered for certain nights and certain times, and industry would pay other citizens to protect property and commodities. These paotection jobs typically didn't pay well, and mainly employed a segment of the population who might otherwise be criminal.

The rise of the police was a consequence of economics peculiar to 19th century capitalism, the first public police force was created in Boston only when merchants convinced the public that the expense should be born by all for the common good, and in the South the public police force evolved from slave patrols as a necessity of maintaining the slavery system.

The public police force continued to spread throughout America, particularly in the West, in 19th century only as businessmen began to fear labour activism and required a militant police force to end strikes.

The public police force before the 1930s was not only a new idea, but it was entirely a weapon of political power and terror: police forces were chosen by the leader of the ward's winning political party, and would ignore that political leader's own street gangs as they intimidated rival voters. It wasn't until 1929, after the Wickersham Commission, which noted such gems as "the inflicting of pain, physical or mental, to extract confessions or statements... is widespread throughout the country", that a push for professionalism and the independence of the police force began in America.

The consent the average citizen has given to be policed and the satisfaction she should have with the current system is very debatable.

Would the night watch have enforced the war on drugs to such a violent end?

Do we really need to have squad cars looking for speeders, or can citizens just report dangerous drivers to the DMV?

Was it not easier to pay off erstwhile thieves a wage to 'guard the property'?

Perhaps our consent to the police is just a manufactured consent, as our economic system was only able to survive by creating a force capable of quelling our collective dissent?

[harimau777]

Also, nice find! It's helpful to have actual numbers to discuss.