> The cops that pull them over always treat them in the softest and most deferential way imaginable.

Without denying I have seen preferential treatment first-hand, you might take a step back and imagine...

You're dealing with someone who entered a career known for its machismo, where they received training on how to use physical violence, including training on shooting a weapon that could quite possibly be with them. This person has been drinking or is flat-out drunk, and it's only a matter of minutes before they realize how screwed they're about to be.

Treating them softly is what you SHOULD do.

We should be asking whether we are content to find ourselves in a world where that soft approach is considered the noteworthy exception.