I would not underestimate the significance of police in a vacuum. Though I'd agree at the most fundamental level the the lawmakers and elected officials are the

I would not underestimate the significance of police in a vacuum. Though I'd agree at the most fundamental level the the lawmakers and elected officials are the real problem, but that is something that is probably intractable. Most people are naturally not particularly well informed on most things. Expecting them to collectively vote on the people most likely to lead them in all things is bound to result in bad results more than occasionally. Even moreso when we're so easily manipulated by tribalism, charisma, and so on. A successful politician and a successful conman share mostly the same skill set! And restricting voting to some group deemed sufficiently informed is an even worse solution as you'd end up with something like gerrymandering ramped up exponentially. Elaborate on "history has shown it goes the other way as well"?