And a compromise should not look like city council members hiring expensive body guards and leaving citizens unprotected as was one citiy's example
Where is Batman and the Green Arrow and Supergirl? They are cost effective. OK fictional...
Good points! There is a reasonable middle road of reform of course, and the majority would support it, of requiring the chiefs of police to train as needed and to weed out officers that still aren't living up to the standards.
But another thing to remember is that in a way we imagine police keeping order more than they actually can(!).
Mostly it's the people that keep themselves in order, and when that breaks down much, past a certain level (and it's not much!), then the police have little power to stop it. Example: if 15% of people decided to start stealing, then
even twice as many police still wouldn't be enough to even slow that down much, and 98%+ of thieves would get away with it.
Therefore, the real security isn't really how many police there are.
But instead the culture of the people -- for good or ill. And that depends a lot on the examples cultural leaders set, such as the president for instance -- the influence.
Imagine a president doing these:
" love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control."
That would have a huge effect on the nation
over time, and reduce crime in the only way that really works well: by helping improve the culture of the nation.
In other words, if you want a better security 3 years from now, elect a better president in a few months.