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I’m deeply conflicted because I believe ACAB (to a point) but also...

This is the problem with the ACAB idea. No matter how well functioning a society is, there will be crime. In order for that society to function, there needs to be an organization which investigates crimes and brings suspected criminals in to face an impartial justice system. A society which lacks any sort of justice system will quickly break down into vigilantism and tit-for-tat violence. While it's not necessary that the State be the one who employs this force, other options are going to have some insurmountable problems. For example, you could have private groups which investigate crimes and apprehend suspects. But, this then leads to issues of payment for these forces and favoritism. Imagine every corporation having it's own security force running around enforcing whatever version of "the law" their management decides to enforce. I really don't want to have to have a subscription to Amazon Prime Police. We could try to shift this to large, non-profit organizations, but this is still going to run into issues of how the organization is managed. In the end, policing is a natural place for the State to fill a need which shouldn't be focused on profit. And, assuming the State is reasonably representative of the people, this allows The People to have control over that force. Of course, State run police isn't a panacea to prevent problems. We've got plenty of them in the US to demonstrate that. But, the idea of a society without the State running the criminal investigation is utopian fantasy.

For a thought experiment. Let's imagine a society without a State run criminal investigation force (i.e. a police force). I'm a horrible person from a family of horrible people. One day I decide I don't like something you said, so I beat your skull in. To whom does your grieving family turn to, to investigate and prosecute me for my actions? Maybe the military. Then we just have policing from a non-specialized force, it's a police force in all but name. And it also has issues with a military style response in situations where such a response is wholly inappropriate. Do they turn to the community at large? Mob justice isn't new and this has been a historic solution. For active pursuit of criminals, there might be a Hue and Cry. But, what if the crime isn't detected until later? Mob justice also has some major issues with unfairly targeting the innocent and marginalized groups. Does your family just take action on it's own? This "worked" for the Hatfield and McCoy families. There just isn't a good solution which doesn't eventually boil down to a State or community run police force.

I don't want to defend individual cops. There are some pretty horrible ones on the books in the US. If you feel the need to write "your fucked" on the dust cover of your firearm, you shouldn't be a cop. And that's one of the major issues with policing in the US. For many areas there is neither the perception nor the actuality of accountability. For a police force to function, it needs the trust of the people, and that's all kinds of broke in the US. That ACAB is even a thing demonstrates that quite clearly. Policing in the US needs a reset. The originall Peelian Principals would be a damned good place to start. But, entrenched interests and stupid policies (see: the war on drugs) make this a near impossibility. I don't have answers. But I will say that ACAB isn't it. So, don't feel bad about "betraying" that idea. It's lazy thinking which doesn't solve anything and is divorced from reality. Instead we have a lot of hard thinking and hard work to do to fix policing in the US.