That is the social role of police officers. They should be moderate, peaceful human beings that want to resolve conflict within a community with as little social harm as possible. Force isn't an issue because they know the guy they have to arrest - and on the rare occasion it is necessary, the community stands behind them. Instead we use officers as mere tools of the law, to be exploited by whatever social group is in power. I mean think about how many homes have been broken by "law and order" type officers... The social damage to our society is astounding, no matter which asshole has been in charge.
Law enforcement is what happens when a community is broken. Policing is what happens when it is meaningful. We all know the difference and yet Western society is most definitely moving in the opposite direction. It's crackdown time apparently.