It's completely astonishing how low the ethics standards are for police officers in the US! Even if this is the standard procedure, you'd expect that a decent person tries to work the system in favor of kids whose phone was stolen. But what do we expect from police officers who typically require less training to become an officer than is needed to get a license as a cosmetician?! I dream of a US where it takes 1.5 to 2 years of schooling to become a police officer. Where officers take hundreds of hours in law, ethics and de-escalation classes. I want police officers who have book clubs in which they have heated discussions about Kant's and Foucault. I want police officers who are passionate and knowledgeable about justice, are true experts in law enforcement and improving our society and hold each other accountable! I don't think that's unreasonable, given this is equivalent to the professionalism I expect from other people who are good at their profession.