The problem I have with cops is there's virtually no accountability with them. Most of the time, whenever they fuck up, at best they do an internal investigation which usually results in "we have investigated ourselves and found that we did nothing wrong". They rarely try to even get rid of the bad ones because its basically a fraternity with guns. The few good ones who actually try to make a change with in the department and repot the bad ones usually end up getting pushed out. And when they are in the act of doing something terrible, theres really nothing you can do to stop them because if you intervene then you'll either get arrested or shot, all you can do is film them and hope they don't kill the person they're attacking, hell even filming them could put you in danger.

The issue isn't that police exist. Like you said, police are necessary for government to function because agreed upon rules/laws must be enforced. Since we live in a physical world, the ultimate escalation of disagreements is physical force, i.e. violence, so in order to be the supreme enforcer of laws, the government must have a monopoly (or at least undisputed superiority) on violence. Police are the first-level enforcers and therefore exist as a group with the ability to use violence among a populace that is largely disallowed from the same. This is just an inherent fact of a governing body and I don't think any ideology disagrees. Even anarchism is in agreement, since it's lack of police also necessitates the lack of a government.

The issue arrises when those with a monopoly on violence abuse their powers to do whatever they want, or to enforce their selfish will on others. It's very difficult to avoid that situation. Lots of oversight and repercussions are required, but that is basically never implemented. This is probably the main issue with police today. Near total immunity to do anything, including murder.

Police also inherently enforce the status quo and protect the elite. They enforce the current laws/state of things, as is their job, so they are always there to fight against change and progress (and regression). The elites typically define those laws and control the paychecks/priorities of the police, so the police fight for the elites. That is generally not good. An ideal society can mitigate this by reducing the powers of the police. Things like empowering social workers to respond to mental health crises or check-ups. Or limiting the polices' capabilities for violence (guns, military vehicles, etc...) and delegating that to specialized task forces that only respond when the circumstances call for it. Adjust the violence level of the response to the situation at hand and come with a goal of de-escalation.

So generally, people aren't calling for no police, they are calling for less militarized, less violent, and less immune police. Also, better trained police. A 6 week training course full of highschool dropouts should not be the pipeline for the police force. Bonus points of the police are actually active members of their communities.

Lastly, if police are just there to look busy and get paid, they tend to go after easy low-hanging fruit that doesn't benefit society. Filling jails with weed smokers while refusing to purse any crimes that require a modicum of investigation helps no one.

ACAB is very accurate because the job description of today's police is to be evil. However, that doesn't need to be the case.

There are many ways that we can implement a mechanism that meets your criteria, while simultaneously being a horrible blight on society. Selective enforcement. Lack of oversight. Lack of accountability for errors and overstepping.

And in the US, we've implemented all of these.

People don't want no police. People want police reform. But our current police are so bad that it's near impossible to believe we could reform them without starting over completely.

Community Policing is effective and doesn't have the same issues. The problem with police is they aren't accountable, and often not even part of the community. They have no issue doing whatever the hell they want, because it won't come back to hurt them.

Community Policing is by regular people in the community, who work together to keep everyone safe. They're accountable and know/are known by everyone else in the community. If they do something bad, they're going to have consequences.

Policing is required, just not this kind.

Those people live in unequal societies where the powerful impose their will into most people. And those powerful happen to not like most people.

None of that is caused by the police, but you can see where the problem will become apparent.

I never quite got what the end goal is for people who paint the entire concept of police as a bad thing.

As with many things, it's their history and behavior.

Could a friendly police force that just wants to keep everyone safe such as you describe exist? Probably. Do they? Not in my experience.

If you have an interest to learn more on the topic, I suggest this podcast miniseries, listened to IN ORDER. (It's essentially one long discussion with references.) So at this link you'll need to start at the very bottom with the June 23, 2020 episode.

Give the hosts a little time to get to know each other, IMO it's a little bumpy at the start, but overall one of the most interesting, enlightening, and well-sourced and cited documentary podcasts I have ever listened to. It will require a few hours of your time, however.

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-behind-the-police-63877803/

Because nuance is harder to convey in bullhorn format. It's easier to paint things as "good" and "bad" without grey area because it's easier for a mass market to consume.

Just like never making the distinction between a corrupt government and a benevolent one. It's all just "the state".

Ah yes police the "good guys" - A Union that helps destroy, hinders and prevents other unions. The fact you think the police's main function is enforcing the rules of law in society is a big problem.