A Future To Be Avoided, Or a Present To Be Regretted?

     I’ve been reading a writer new to me: Henry Brown. And I’m impressed. He has a felicity of style buried within what looks at first like the flattest kind of narrative writing. And every so often, he looses an observation – within his fictional milieu, to be sure – that resonates with me. Here’s one from his unique time-travel novel Escaping Fate:

     Dad thanked [Officer Frey,] they shook hands again, and we drove off our separate ways. Officer Frey no doubt went off to meet some fellow cops and tell them a story over coffee and doughnuts that would eventually become an “urban legend.” We drove off to find Bonny Lass Road, of course.
     “Cops sure are different now, too,” I observed out loud.
     Dad nodded. “Once upon a time, decent men became cops. They wanted justice and to actually help people. Obviously, something changed. Maybe it was all the jingoistic cop movies and cop shows—I dunno. But it became just a way for would-be Hitler Youth to get their sick jollies pushing people around and hiding behind a badge.”

     I know a fair number of people who’ve had bad experiences with the police. I also know a few who speak consistently well of them. Where do the police of today stand, between “Dad’s” two poles? Are they nearer to the “decent men who want justice and to help people” model, or are they nearer to the “Hitler Youth” model as “Dad” put it above? In which direction would you put the trend? And how have your personal experiences factored into your evaluation?