That's how it works in many (most?) other countries. Police depends on a distant, more "neutral" authority. The system has also problems but making the police d

That's how it works in many (most?) other countries. Police depends on a distant, more "neutral" authority. The system has also problems but making the police depend on local authorities has a very big one: the smaller the community, you're more in the hands of a very short list of persons that probably have reasons to prey on you unrelated to law. It's a system that made sense when the US where in a revolutionary fight with the UK or later a new nation with isolated communities separated by huge distances. Not so much now.