Anyone in law enforcement is in the business of destroying lives. They don't protect people (you can't really, in a free society), they punish people after the

Anyone in law enforcement is in the business of destroying lives. They don't protect people (you can't really, in a free society), they punish people after the fact in an attempt to reduce antisocial/immoral/"impure" behavior. Doing their jobs correctly and with moral forthrightness is making absolutely sure the lives they destroy are lives that deserve to be destroyed. But as it turns out they are human and want to keep their jobs so they inevitably focus on "winning" cases -- that is, not failing to destroy lives, rather than being appropriately cautious with the power they are given. Cartoonish villians? No. It's more the opposite; they think of themselves as cartoonish superheroes and have a hard-on for "punishing the wicked", and often forget that the wicked aren't always so wicked and maybe the extreme and brutal punishment associated with even being touched by the US justice system isn't appropriate -- but why give up a case you can win and tank your career? The guy in the cubicle next door is happy to get the commendation and promotion if you won't take it.