"And cops also have guns, tear gas, the right to pull people over, arrest them, etc. etc. If they cannot be trusted with a licence plate database, then they can't really be trusted with those either."
now you're getting it.
"cops are the only reason we don't all have delicious cartel boots (or their bullets) in our mouths already"
citation needed.
And since you're looking for some solutions to these problems, here are a few: end qualified immunity, make peace officers obtain licensure and insurance so when the shitheads fuck up they are personally liable for their corruption, dissole internal affairs and move the investigations to a third party. In terms of reducing crime: tax the ever loving fuck out of anyone worth more than a million, dump those taxes into public services like education and healthcare so people aren't forced into deviance (further reading: https://www.simplypsychology.org/mertons-strain-theory-devia...)
now you're getting it.
"cops are the only reason we don't all have delicious cartel boots (or their bullets) in our mouths already"
citation needed.
And since you're looking for some solutions to these problems, here are a few: end qualified immunity, make peace officers obtain licensure and insurance so when the shitheads fuck up they are personally liable for their corruption, dissole internal affairs and move the investigations to a third party. In terms of reducing crime: tax the ever loving fuck out of anyone worth more than a million, dump those taxes into public services like education and healthcare so people aren't forced into deviance (further reading: https://www.simplypsychology.org/mertons-strain-theory-devia...)