Former mechanic here, us too, I can be held liable and even sued if I let a car drive on the road with an obvious defect/safety issue and they hit someone because of it. (In my state at least).

I'm aware of the reasons and that cops only have a duty to protect the government, not individuals themselves. These rulings are made by those in power who want to maintain the divide between social and economic classes.

The standards necessary for being in law enforcement are too low and the lack of accountability furthers authoritative abuse. Being a cop should absolutely require more education and training, being licensed, being insured and accountability. When a 'civilian' is expected to know the law better than the cops who are paid to uphold those laws, it furthers the power imbalance. When a cop can arrest you and turn your life upside down because they are having a bad day or simply want to bully you, even when illegally detained, you have almost no recourse. I'm glad that there is a little accountability happening now, but it's the tip of the iceberg for a massively corrupt institution and needs serious reform.