A friend decades ago who had been in law enforcement (Sheriff deputy, last 5 years on that job in youth gang unit) told me about the attraction of the rush...not just the driving, but the raids, guns, adrenaline, busting down doors, etc. Then he had a wake-up moment, realizing that all they ever did was way too far after the fact. He quit and went into anti-bullying and related work.

Also there's the irony of the Blue Wall...maybe officers are looking to cut each other down for their own gain, but also they will protect their own vs. civilians no matter what. I once got lied to for months about the officer who was supposedly investigating my case ("he's on patrol, we'll leave a message; he's off duty today, we'll leave a message"). Turned out he had been suspended, and then went AWOL, was supposed to have handed in gun and badge but had not, and even the cops didn't know where he was. But no way were they going to tell me that willingly. From the small-community grapevine I later learned that whatever he'd done, it was bad enough he left the county entirely. And that county is an island; leaving is a big deal for a local and he was a local.