I get the feeling that something similar to this is used for police training.

[beevul]

Am I the only one?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. The problem isn't the actual training, which in most places

is very much by-the-book. The problem is both subtle and pervasive - it's a mindset that develops after training, with the result that even those officers who aren't already authoritarian jerks will tolerate bad behavior by other officers because there is a lot of pressure, tacit and otherwise, to do so. About 20 years ago a cop I knew (a guy who was probably about 45) made the comment that "there are only two kinds of people: cops and assholes." So, in any interaction with a cop you will be presumed to be an asshole unless you prove you are not by being properly obedient and submissive. This is what they learn after their book-learning is complete. It's true that cops do see a lot of people who really are assholes, and it's not surprising that they can become cynical, but this experience leads to a generally bad attitude toward everybody, and apparently little is done to counteract it. Instead, they are given military weapons and instructed to treat the public as the enemy.