>>>" I cringe every time I see a city policeman sitting on the side of am interstate highway"<<<
They are not City Police, they are "Uniformed Tax Collectors" all you have to do is buy them coffee and engage them in conversation, sooner or later you will encounter one that is honest and they will tell you the how and WHY of there shift change meetings and the Plan of the week and the "Score" which is if their collection efforts are on track for their "Goal"
It is all for the $$$$$ and it isn't even denied anymore, it is included in the City, County and State Budget.
It would be fun to pass a referendum that states that any municipality that cannot get up to and maintain a 25% solution rate for burglaries within 5 years must fire the entire PD. You can bet that "revenue enhancement" would quickly go to the bottom of the priority list.