A few thoughts:
First, this is the reason for the First Amendment and its ancestor
in British common law.
Second, this is why I prefer the Sheriff over Police model.
Although there are plenty of assholes in the Sheriff’s Office, the
top guy, the Sheriff himself, holds an elected position, so if the
people do finally have enough, it’s easier to get things changed.
And, bonus, if the local PD gets too out of hand, the Sheriff has
the power to arrest local police officers. City politics is always
messy and convoluted, and harder to effect.
Last, this was the State Highway Patrol. I’ve personally been
treated better by Staties in the past: they seem more professional
and accountable. I do not, however, have any experience with CHP,
so maybe it isn’t that way there. However, we may see some actual
results in this case, we’ll see. Don’t most of the “bad
cop” stories usually involve county and city LEOs, where local
entrenchment is in play? Also, the Feds are bad, but that is purely
about maintaining power.