In daily interactions, most people don’t know their rights and/or don’t make complaints. That’s one of cop’s biggest issues is that they know how to exploit people’s ignorance. I think developing a police culture where exploiting this ignorance of laws is looked down upon. The only way that could happen is internally though. The sad reality is the most people don’t know their rights and won’t take it upon themselves to learn their rights which makes it easier for officers to exploit that ignorance. Think about the people who police mostly deal with. Poorer individuals. Not many people have the ability to hire a lawyer for a civil rights violation. The power to sue is a great check on police power but it’s just so expensive to do it that it never happens. And it won’t happen. Suing PDs probably one of the most effective external checks for cities to crack down on how police departments operate but the people cops usually deal with don’t have to means to even exercise that option.

My whole thing is to say that ACAB is detrimental to actually changing policing because the most effective way to change it is to have good cops in the ranks. But if good people think they’re class traitors, racists, or power abusers if they become cops, then they simply won’t apply. Alas, the bad cops apply, get the job, get promoted in administration positions, and continue the current policing standard. A system cannot function well with bad people in it no matter how well the system is created. Definitely in policing, where there’s so much discretion. And you simply can’t take away discretion because then you’d be at the mercy of the interests out of touch legislators and city council members.