The police in my western town began as a protection racket. Businesses wanted someone(s) to do something about drunks and brawling. So they deputized some bouncers. But they couldn't (wouldn't) pay much. So these newly minted cops got entrepreneurial. Then they branched out into prostitution. /1
Sheriffs in the South started as militia and slave catchers.
Texas Rangers started as body guards and quickly transmuted into a paramilitary unit to hunt and kill Comanche people.
Thru the North East and Rust Belt, the robber barons paid cops to violently suppress labor.
The police in my western town began as a protection racket. Businesses wanted someone(s) to do something about drunks and brawling. So they deputized some bouncers. But they couldn't (wouldn't) pay much. So these newly minted cops got entrepreneurial. Then they branched out into prostitution. /1
Sheriffs in the South started as militia and slave catchers.
Texas Rangers started as body guards and quickly transmuted into a paramilitary unit to hunt and kill Comanche people.
Thru the North East and Rust Belt, the robber barons paid cops to violently suppress labor.
Etc.
Old habits die hard.
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1/ Seattle Justice: The Rise and Fall of the Police Payoff System in Seattle https://www.amazon.com/Seattle-Justice-Police-Payoff-System/...