I'm a military member. I do a support role, but none the less I am aware of the military mindset and idea that is taught -- Its us and the enemy.
This is NOT the mindset police should have, but it is how many police view their jobs. Its a systemic problem. Its not even that cops are good or bad. It's a big broken machine that pushes new cops into a certain mindset. They are taught that doing this is how to survive or they could be killed anytime. Over the last decade many police departments have hired MPs and other military. Congress has given out sweetheart deals that increase the type of military equipment provided to police departments. Now you have an armored carrier? Well now you need to use it. And while I don't have it out for cops AT ALL, these fat fucking retards running around in old military gear and SWAT uniforms are an embarrassment and should have gotten off their asses and served in the military if they wanted to act like rambo.
Look at this shit. Fed government gave this 700,000 USD machine to them for 2000.
Nothing about this shit makes us safer. It jus cost more maintenance.
Anyways....
This American Life had an incredible two part series discussing how cops view situations:
Cops See It Differently, Part One | This American Life
Cops See It Differently, Part Two | This American Life
You get a good idea of how difficult being a cop can be, how much people fuck with you and lie in the situation. But then you also see the escalation in the system that happens without some force like a Chief of Police coming in and saying "we are stuck in a broken social mess and can't fix it, but we have to at least not make it worse".
One thing that really struck me was this one cop on there that talks about working only the night shift. He got to the point he was jaded and angry. He saw everyone in that area as scum and out to get him. Then he switched shifts. He saw familes, businesses, non-criminals. Totally changed his mindset.
It's a big circle of social mess and the aggressive militaristic cops are a symptom and cause of part of it.