Not every cop is the same, and it's wrong to assume that they are.

My default position is that policemen are here to help. They are the guys that carry guns and run toward danger, so I don't need to.

But there are bad ones. Black folks say words to the effect "this is the way we have always been treated. the difference is now there are cameras everywhere, to prove it" There was a case, a few years ago, about an officer in a Detroit burb who beat up a black motorist. The guy had previously been with Detroit PD, and Detroit had received a long list of complaints about this guy. But he was able to be hired again as a policeman.

The oddest thing is that, in movies and TV series about police departments, "Internal Affairs" is always painted as the bad guys.

The function if IA, from the net sifter:

A police department's Internal Affairs (IA) unit investigates misconduct allegations against officers, ensuring accountability, protecting the public, and maintaining department integrity by handling complaints, enforcing policy, identifying systemic issues, and recommending discipline to uphold professional standards and public trust. They investigate everything from minor policy violations to major crimes and civil rights issues, ensuring fair and thorough processes for all involved

This should be a good thing, right? The police who police the police. But they are always portrayed negatively, even in a sitcom, like "Barney Miller".

Lieutenant Scanlon

A member of the Internal Affairs Division of the New York City Police Department, his appearances always meant tense times for the detectives and officers of the 12th Precinct, in particular their leader, series protagonist Captain Barney Miller.

In many respects, he was a nightmare version of a police officer to other police officers, the quota-driven cop who wanted to find petty crimes to expose, and viewing everyone he deals with as guilty to start with.

While tensions always existed between regular police and internal affairs, Scanlon is not the one who could receive grudging respect for someone just doing his job. In fact, on many occasions, it was implied and sometimes even stated outright that Scanlon targeted the 12th Precinct precisely because of its clean tenure under Miller.

villains.fandom.com - Lieutenant Scanlon

Weird, isn't it?

Steve