Dad, what's the difference between a Police Officer and a Soldier?

The only issue I see here, is that Police by their very "model" are reactive. Though they can be a Defensive Deterrent, they don't really Defend in a traditional sense of the word. They are more of an Investigative & Corrective Force.

Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS, I agree, "defense" can take many forms. Personally, I'm not a fan of certain proactive policing models (such as Broken Windows Theory, and sting operations which are basically entrapment), and I think that individuals should take more personal responsibility for their own defense. But I am an advocate of the community policing model, where patrol officers attempt to become more integrated in the communities that make up their beat, better enabling investigative ops and fostering trust with officers.

I very much prefer the Beat Cop model as well, however I don't know that it is feasible any more. It has great potential for Urban & Rural, but in Suburban, it just doesn't scale right.