Watching this video got me wondering if it would be possible to create a federal bureau of police enforcement. A "Police Reserve" - men and women who want to protect America, the Constitution, and people's rights. It's open enrollment with standards, like the military, and achieves many basic elements of training and drilling to prepare police officers of the realities of their jobs. Classes on diffusing domestic disputes. Classes on respectful crowd dispersal. Classes on identifying mental illness. Classes on handling riots. A federal standard. Room and board paid for for 4 years while they learn all of this, like the military - but with emphasis on upholding law and order in a respectful and compassionate way. In these 4 years you could weed out a lot of the big tough guys and little Napoleons that gravitate towards law enforcement. It could even be a second route for enlisted personnel who retire and want to continue serving, acting as a way to help retrain them to acclimate to working with civilians instead of dumping a war veteran into a position of managing angry moms with his military combat skills.
When a state wants to hire or replace an officer, they tap the pool and "buy out" one of the Police Reserve to come work for them. The federal government pays a pension of sorts for service, and the municipality covers the rest of their salary, easing the burden of small towns that still need good cops. They become a state or city police officer, complete with 4 years of comprehensive policing standards and training. The Police Reserve could be deployed as needed, like the National Guard, but specifically with intent to help domestic problems that are social issues and not insurgent uprisings.
Time and again, people identify a lack of training as the issue. Not every state or municipality has the budget to train cops as well as they should; hell, some have basic arms training and turn people loose. I knew a guy who basically said that to become a part time cop, all he had to do was prove he could shoot straight.
In trying to find a solution it seems crystal clear that bottom-level mandates in cities aren't cutting it and are too wildly variable. Could something like this work?