Who's Right About Cops—Conservatives or Libertarians?

It depends on the kind of government you have…

No generalization applies to everyone, but taken in the aggregate, this is how things break down:

• Libertarians look at police as enforcers empowered by the state, and since they think the state should not exist, or should be drastically smaller than it is, they tend reflexively to be wary of police.

• Conservatives tend to believe, as the Founders and class…