Not so fun fact cops were invented to prevent people like us from stealing crates in the harbor 200 years ago. They used to be just upper class people who patrolled the port. They didn't always exist, so it's just as possible for them to cease to exist. A society without goons in blue is possible.
Cops protect the owners of the country.
edit: Why can't we commoners set up our own force to protect us the regular people?
1200 last year, that we know of. Cops self report their crimes. There is no law that requires them to report if they have committed a murder.
https://policeviolencereport.org/
Not so fun fact cops were invented to prevent people like us from stealing crates in the harbor 200 years ago. They used to be just upper class people who patrolled the port. They didn't always exist, so it's just as possible for them to cease to exist. A society without goons in blue is possible. Cops protect the owners of the country. edit: Why can't we commoners set up our own force to protect us the regular people?
Before police though, we had feuds and the city would just randomly hang whomever the townspeople pinned the crimes on.
We also didn't have a professional firefighting force back in the day. Times change.