most cops don’t live near their precincts anymore - these people aren’t their neighbors. They’re ‘outsiders’ who they don’t need to imagine as human beings.

This can be a little bit of a double-edged sword. Working in social services, I’ve heard numerous cases of children disclosing parental abuse to a cop who says words to the effect of “I know your Dad, he’s a good man and wouldn’t do that. Let me take you home and tell him everything you just disclosed to me” or women who try to report domestic violence only to be faced with a similar outcome.

I don’t think there’s an optimal distance for cops to live from their precincts. The only panacea seems to be defunding them.