Power is intoxicating. The paramilitary mentality which is increasingly monopolizing law-enforcement agencies in the U.S. does not want to share power with the average citizen.
I have more confidence in an average law-abiding citizen having a gun for his/her defence than in some testosterone charged elitist modern cop with his PBA or FOP benefits, outrageous pay and arrogance.
A very profound observation. My call-in to a local show with a former Highway Patrolman was evidence of such an attitude.
As to their paramilitary appearance, they seem better suited to perform a Baghdad intervention than a "serve and protect" mission in your typical US city. Are they Claire Voyent?