> Cops are by and large professionals, who get shot in the face while protecting the same community that vilifies them for a few bad apples.
I doubt this is true, and I feel that this statement is dangerous propaganda that enables crimes against citizens, and that prevents honest discussion about or solutions to the problem.
It seems clear that there is a wide-spread systematic problem of police committing crimes and abusing citizens. As a simple example, see what millions of citizens who are black or Latino say about their experiences; the complaints and documented problems extend across the country, encompassing whole ethnic groups and neighborhoods. (For decades police openly assisted in the outright oppression of minorities.) It seems very unlikely that is the product of "a few", or that it's coincidence that we see the same behavior everywhere. That is a systematic problem; and the solution will come only from addressing it on a systematic level.
I'll add that the 'don't snitch' culture of police ensures that we know very little of what goes on -- likely problems occur much more than we know -- and collaboration by prosecutors ensures their impunity. We know that police can murder, steal (asset forfeitures), assault, kidnap (unlawful arrest) or commit any other crime, even on film, usually without reprocussions. Challenges to their impunity are met with outrage and threats, even in the most egregious cases (e.g., Eric Garner).
For the well-intentioned police out there, and I'm sure there are many, your intentions are not enough. As long as you protect bad police, you are accomplices in crimes and participating in conspiracies.