And yet, that is the role that they often take on for themselves.  I believe that is one of the primary reasons behind the increase in SWAT raids in this country.  It has nothing to do with officer or civilian safety (as they more often than not put both in increased danger), and it has little to do with protecting evidence.  This has to do with the feeling among many that laws against certain individuals aren't harsh enough, and if the courts won't dole out the appropriate punishment... well then... the police will do it instead.  And so you have SWAT teams who break into homes to cause property damage and frighten and sometimes hurt individuals.  The problem with this of course is that these individuals are often times not guilty... which is the entire point of the court system.

And it doesn't stop with drug offenders or SWAT raids.  Everyone else's favorite target are child pornographers and sex offenders.  Nobody cares if the police abuse those guys right?

A man alleges that police entered his home illegally and ripped a catheter from his body during a child pornography investigation that led to the arrest of two neighbors.

Andrew Glover, 60, of New Britain filed a notice with the city Thursday that he intends to pursue a federal civil rights lawsuit. He accused the officers of inflicting severe injuries as he was recovering from intestinal surgery in February.

Glover's lawyer, Paul Spinella, said police entered Glover's apartment Jan. 30 and Feb. 28. Glover wasn't involved in child pornography, has not been charged and has no criminal record, Spinella said.

"The poor guy," Spinella said. "They ripped the catheter off his person. They assaulted the guy. He's got major problems as a result of this. He's a mess now."
...
Spinella said officers "tossed" Glover's apartment during a search Jan. 30. In February, he said, Glover returned home from the hospital after his surgery to find officers searching his apartment again. That's when they assaulted Glover and left him alone in the apartment without calling for medical help, Spinella said.

The police didn't have search warrants, Spinella said.

Had this guy been an actual child pornographer, I'm sure people would have a smile on their face reading this story, saying he got what he deserved.  But what do you say when you get the wrong guy?