My 2 cents: I do not believe that 90% of the community hates or dislikes police officers, and they sure as hell love them when 911 is pushed. The focus is put on the "bad" cops because it appears to the public LE's are exceptionally bad about policing their own...It is expected that those who enforce the law also know and abide by it.

As far as a "thankless" job, I call bulllshit. LE is probably thanked far more often than any other profession out there aside from fire and military. And if someone wants to be thanked as part of his or her profession, they should probably switch to a career in medical care. For those of you who disagree, insure you thank your trashman, the electrician, plumber, truck driver, and grocery worker, because they have a far greater impact on your daily life then LE.