The issue with police is that there's no nuance or honest discussion about the mixed bag that Law Enforcement currently is. I always like to say that I really am wary of, and not a big fan of police, but I would like to be.
A lot of things need fixing, but all it takes is for one of these guys to be gunned down chasing after some degenerate scumbag to remind you of the reality of our current civilization and the kind of risks these men and women take for a paycheck. I'm reminded of it whenever I see some meth-addled psychotic speeding down the wrong side of a highway, with cops in pursuit.
I will say that anti-cop hyperbole serves no positive purpose. It shuts minds and makes dialog impossible. What we need is a constructive movement whereby police can be regarded as the good guys again. Police have to understand that they have had a hand in causing the hostility so many have against them.
I know a lot of people who you'd describe as conservative, law abiding, flag saluting types, who themselves have become wary of police in recent years. Police need to accept this fact rather than painting with a broad brush: sometimes complaints are legitimate and police, like anyone else, are fallible. And I think the problems have become systemic -- it's far more than a few "bad apples." There are simply people on the police force who should not be there.
Drawing much stronger Constitutional lines is one possible way forward, so that police simply do not get involved in the lives of non-violent citizens, and concentrate on the bad guys. One particular problem I'd like to see more police resources allocated to (by which I mean reallocated from the drug war), is human trafficking/prostitution/slavery.
If they spent more time going after those people and less time hassling hippies and otherwise law abiding gun owners, there'd be a lot less suspicion and disdain.
