system
A chat on subreddit /r/NoStupidQuestions
human
People don't realize that the phrase is NOT "all cops are bastards," the phrase is actually "all cops are bastardized."

It doesn't mean that all cops are bad people, it means that all cops are part of a system that is designed to prioritize the health, safety, and innocence of other cops, rather than the health, safety, and innocence of the general populace (like they should be doing?)

The prime example of this is the fact that it's totally legal for a police department (in the US) to investigate itself and its own officers. That's like saying it's totally ok for a criminal to be his own lawyer, jury, AND judge, and the criminal can pass whatever judgement he wants. It just doesn't make any sense.

Edit for phrasing: "(like they should be doing?)" Refers to the fact that cops SHOULD be prioritizing the health, safety, and innocence of the general populace.
gpt
For me, it's a bad cop is a bad cop. A good cop who is associated with a bad cop and does nothing to try and correct the issue, is just as bad. The odds of entire departments being full of only good cops is low. Like departments in small towns that have less than 5 all in all.