Law Enforcement Authoritarianism

In law enforcement, officers deal with a variety of calls, some being easier than others to deal with. When that happens, a mentality of “us versus them” can start to form with the public. For instance, if an officer goes to disturbing and upsetting scenes, then has to listen to the normal public ramble about what a “miserable” day it was, that can potentially be a basis for such a mentality, which plays into only being an authoritarian. It can be easier for an officer to be strict on all the rules, having everything be only black and white with no gray area. That can cause a person to have a lack of sympathy and compassion when responding to calls. Another explanation for what the sergeant meant that it’s easier being more authoritarian
However, I do believe that it does happen regularly and not just in law enforcement. There are people in regular businesses that will only follow the rules and not make compassionate exceptions every now and then. I work at a campground and one of the managers will only follow the rules strictly, which is perfectly fine. The only issue is that sometimes people make mistakes and don’t deserve the harshest punishment available. I haven’t met an officer who takes an authoritarian stance, but I know of friends describing situations where they’ve encountered or seen officers who take a stricter stance. I find it unfortunate that officers wouldn’t want to have more compassion and sympathy, especially considering the job. The article on Communication and Conflict Resolution even states that “effective officers must be able to utilize appropriate conflict-resolution skills to prevent situations from escalating while maintaining objectivity, balance, and the perception of fairness.” That means that balance and perception of fairness are directly correlated to sympathy and compassion, meaning an officer doesn't have to rule with an iron fist to be considered productive or