Lots of people can’t seem to even conceive that there ever was a time without police presence, and police enforcement of the law; but in reality, that simply isn’t historically true, for what we today perceive as the police is a fairly recent iteration of what is essentially a tool so created for the good security of a given community. Further to the point, more people, need to take to heart that what a police force should represent, which at its best, isn’t some sort of mad intimidating force, but rather should be seen as an aid to the community so as to maintain domestic tranquility.
Today’s police force, is highly militarized, and seems to a very large extent, not to answer a whit to the people, but rather answers to the prosecutorial arm of the state, as well as to those that are the actuators and power players of that given community. So then, to consider defunding the police, because of the problems that some communities have had with egregiously bad police actions, really necessitates a fundamental change with the prosecutorial arm of the state and its adjuncts; unless, one truly believes that the police pretty much do whatever that they want to do, to whomever that they want to do, and are therefore effectively above the law. As true as that might seem, the police are better seen as having to answer to those that are above them, which in practicality is the prosecutorial arm of the state and its actuators, of which, those district attorneys, their underlings, community councils, and the like, are the very ones that can make change, if only they would have the courage as well as the follow through to do so.
The problem with bad police actions fundamentally rests with that prosecuting arm of the state, in conjunction with the governance of that community; and all those that think that when police officers join together to protect their turf and therefore when perceived to be necessary, go out on an informal strike, such as the “blue flu” or when they refuse to ticket or arrest people as their form of pushback— must understand that the way real power works, is that the prosecuting arm, needs to, in those types of situations, to put their foot down, so as to give the firm order that such illicit actions will be punished, including termination. For all those, then, that believe that a police force, gutted out by terminations, and illegal strikes would be devastating to a given community, they should understand that the state in a time of crisis, always has viable options, which includes calling upon the National Guard or similar.
So then, as bad as a police force can be, that police force must actually answer to that prosecutorial arm and its respective governance; and therefore, that prosecutorial arm of the state along with its governance, should, in fact, often be the target of the public’s anger and animus, because it is that prosecutorial arm that has failed to do their good part in controlling that part of law enforcement which is detrimental to the people, prejudicial, or out-of-control. Those that are the police are not the bosses in any community of any size or importance; rather they are the order takers, and therefore it is those that make the orders, that need to be held accountable, above all.