They were very visible and everyone ended up having interactions with them at some point in their lives.
The one time I needed them in my life they were supremely unhelpful and unsympathetic. Basically said to me and my family “not our problem.” Ended up using social services instead, who got the sheriff involved, who immediately took action and was helpful, sympathetic, and checked in after their time assisting was over.
In hindsight, my town would have been better off allocating the police funding to drug rehab and social services, and just asking the sheriff to handle policing in the town.
I’m glad that the Sheriff was responsive and helpful though, it’s always nice to hear about public servants actually serving the public.
Even still, my general thesis would still apply at the county level.
> That doesn’t mean places like DHS don’t do bad things, they do, but you should look at your local cops first.
I would posit that many places don't have police at the town-level. As you move away from the coasts where the cities are far and the towns sparsely populated, policing responsibilities tend to rest at the county level or in a sheriff's department or similar.