The police represent the state’s monopoly over organized violence. If you get rid of the police then what you have is called a failed state and a power vacuum. What happens then? Read about cartel-controlled areas of Mexico, warlord-controlled areas in Central African Republic, jihadist-controlled areas of Nigeria or Syria, or criminal gang-controlled areas in Haiti for examples.

Don’t get me wrong. The police in the US are quite bad. But things could be so much worse. I’m talking about guys driving around in pickup trucks with machine guns mounted on the backs, firing indiscriminately into crowds of people and homes and public places. Mass kidnappings, massacres, rape as a weapon of war. This is ugly, horrific stuff.