A former Albuquerque police cadet who sued the city and got a big payout is back in court, but this time she's the one in trouble. Police departments ask the public to accept authority in real time, often under stress, and trust the system will fix it later. But oversight usually doesn't come first. It comes after harm, after lawsuits, after headlines. That expectation isn't anti- police. It's pro-accountability. Because once power is granted, it's rarely questioned and even more rarely taken back. Thin blue lies, baby.