The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

So, I had a run-in with law enforcement yesterday. My lease on my old car ran out in March of this year, when I put a lease on a new vehicle. Little did I realize the stickers on my plates expired in June. Stopped at a light, I witnessed a cop's flashing lights behind me not long after we got going again. I wasn't speeding or driving erratically in any sense, so I was quite puzzled, even thinking he was going to pull over someone in front of me. After checking my insurance and license (clean record), he kindly let me off with a warning and provided me with information on where to go outside of the BMV, as it's rather notorious for long lines/waits. The discussion was short-lived. The officer was helpful and understanding. As I was on my way to meet my parents for lunch, the situation could have been a lot worse. I actually wondered to myself, "Would this have gone any differently had I been black or Hispanic?" I honestly have no idea, but I couldn't help but...

What is the job of cops? To protect the people, right? Or am I way off base here? That's what I've always tried associating cops with. But, as I've gotten older (an elderly 30, I know), it's becoming more and more difficult for me to fully associate them with protecting the people. My brother's car got broken into not too terribly long ago. This is nothing new where he lived. In their neighborhood, cars have been broken into several times over the course of the past several months. The cops have been called numerous times and my brother called the morning when he found out his car had been broken into. They made it sound like it was no big deal. All that was taken was the stereo system and the subwoofer. It could have been worse. It's like when my mom's purse got stolen last year. They didn't think that was a big deal either, "Oh, it's just a purse." Yet, all the time, I see cops with their radar guns, trying to catch people speeding, s...