Why exactly would that be shocking to you? The fact that this guy wore a uniform in no way meant that his credibility was somehow higher than anybody else’s.
I have the opposite issue that you have: I actively and reflexively distrust people with certain societal prerogatives more than I distrust most. Cops, clergy, military, doctors - I assume they know that their clothes and their perceived status will help them in a pinch and therefore feel like they can bend the truth and get away with it. This isn’t fair, probably, but I think there’s a built-in predisposition to give certain people the benefit of the doubt for essentially superficial reasons, so I scrutinize them more.
For example, if I need a police officer to protect me, I would hope my attacker would RESPECT the officers’ authority.
It's that simple dynamic that has to be working. At the same time how would you de program that in a courtroom.
It can't be BOTH ways. And that's what I meant