I've been lightly following the Bricks & Minifigs situation and every time someone talking about it is shocked that the police aren't being helpful I get another grey hair.
If no one's told you before, I'm glad I finally get to tell you: the cops do not exist to help or protect you the individual.
In 2005 the Supreme Court made an official ruling that essentially boils down to "cops do not have a legal duty to protect you from harm" after ruling that the police officers who failed (chose not) to enforce a restraining order are not responsible for the murder of three children by their father who was not allowed to visit or be anywhere near them.
Policing in the US has a long and dark history. I think a majority of people are aware of the roots in slave patrols in the southern regions and the downstream effects of racism in the force. But I think far fewer people are aware of how policing developed in the north.
Boston is often credited as the first "real" birth of policing as we know it. In Boston, companies in port would hire men to acts as guards for their product to discourage theft and other crime in the area. (These men were often criminal themselves but that doesn't really matter in this history lesson.) At this time in America there were also night watches. Stealing a quote from Time; "Policing in Colonial America had been very informal, based on a for-profit, privately funded system that employed people part-time. Towns also commonly relied on a “night watch” in which volunteers signed up for a certain day and time, mostly to look out for fellow colonists engaging in prostitution or gambling." Except the issue with this was it was voluntary and many of the men who volunteered chose to spend their watch drinking or engaging with prostitutes, so they lost community support over time.
Eventually, companies that were hiring guards saw an opportunity. Communities wanted better protection and they didn't want to have pay workers, so if they could convince the public and the government to fund law enforcement, they would get guards for free. Of course it wasn't all funded by tax dollars (and still isn't today) so if the shiny new police department happened to place most of its force closer to the companies that brought the idea forward, is that really so unfair?
And today, just as police in America are still heavily rooted in racism, the laws they enforce most often are to the benefit of corporations and large companies. Not citizens.
So, remember: just because you aren't doing anything wrong, or are the victim of a crime, the police (legally) aren't there to help you.
I hope the Mansell family are able to reclaim their property and I hope Bricks & Minifigs get what they deserve. But when penguinz0/MoistCritical/Charlie talks like he's shocked that the police aren't helping and he's baffled how they just aren't enforcing the law... I cringe a little.
It is, obviously, unsavory for police to be this blatant about not caring about citizens and I imagine the backlash will make the local department straighten up for a little while. But it won't change anything systemically.
I only have a minor in Criminal Justice but the history of police is taught in the intro level classes and even the most conservative professors openly say the same things. My history of policing class was taught by a former cop who was very proud of his time as a cop and correctional officer and he openly mentioned the roots in both corporate meddling and slave patrols.
