[aeternum]

I'm pretty concerned about how this ends. It's clear there's a major problem in police departments within the US and it is getting worse instead of better for a few reasons:

1) There a significant camaraderie that is very much part of the job. Unlike most jobs, police depend on their coworkers to keep them alive. From a game theory POV, the price of defection (not corroborating the a partner's story, or testifying against another officer) is extremely high.

2) Confidence in police is at a record low, the majority of American adults no longer trust police. This will yield an increased 'us vs. them' mentality and even more divisiveness. Officers that were more moderate/compassionate will be squeezed from both sides: general public assuming they are corrupt and fellow officers questioning their 'loyalty'. This pressure will cause some number of the moderate/compassionate officers to leave.

3) Calls to cut funding for police departments as well as the public perception changes economic incentives. From an economic POV, rational individuals are less likely to choose to be police officers. This means that the average 'rationality' of our nation's police is likely to decrease.

[m463]

I wonder if bad laws might be part of the problem.

If the war on drugs, civil forfeiture or even a low speed limit makes everyone resent the police, is that a root cause?

I wonder if there could be a way that the police are viewed like firemen or postal workers. Did the UK policemen that didn't carry guns have better acceptance in that respect?

[throwaway2048]

Another significant factor is police departments in the USA are almost always hyperlocal, meaning very corrupt practices can fester for a long time, all that has to happen is the sherif/police chief keeps getting re-elected.