Because a substantial number of cops are hyper aggressive, insecure pricks who operate mostly above the law, and very rarely face any meaningful consequences.

Which, I will always maintain, is the reason they wanted to become cops in the first place.

The old adage/belief that you have to respect a cops authority implicitly just because they’re a cop gives people like this the shortcut to power that they can’t get elsewhere because they’re too stupid to become doctors or lawyers.

“I can earn respect through hard work. Or I can go to a basic police academy course for six weeks, walk out with a badge and a gun, and people have to respect my authority”

Cops are essentially Cartman from Southpark screaming about “Respectin’ my authoritah”.