You seem to be under the mistaken belief that cops are held accountable. They’re not. Accessing Taylor Swift’s text messages is least dangerous thing cops of all levels regularly engage in.
Until someone complains to the press, then it’s one of the more common ways LEO get fired.
Agencies will throw officers under the bus at the slightest provocation to save their own asses. The easiest way is if they get caught violating policy. Officers will often work hard to find out how to not get caught/the cracks in the system, vague areas of policies, etc.
It’s always been a cat and mouse game. Same in the military, except the military doesn’t have to deal with civilian courts and shit rolls down hill more explicitly.
Cops are almost never fired. Placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation? While the press is in a tizzy? Sure. Fired? No. Almost all cops found in violation of policies win on internal appeal. Even in the extremely rare case when they are fired, they’re rehired in a neighboring jurisdiction post haste.
The courts? PUH-LEASE! Prosecutors never prosecute. Even if they go to a grand jury, they end up instructing the grand jury to pass a no-bill (i.e. not enough evidence of a crime), thus letting them was their hands and say, “Gosh! The jury didn’t indict. Can’t do anything,” when in actually grand juries indict everyone. (When I was on a federal grand jury, the AUSA told us that if we were going to pass a no-bill, to tell him so he could bring more evidence (a legitimate ask) and told us that a no-bill would result the a call to him, and his boss, from the Attorney General himself.) Then of course there’s qualified immunity and case law that is overly differential to police actions — even when they violate procedure.
It’s bullshit. Cops are completely unaccountable. They’re gangs.
