I don't really know where it would be helpful. I just find it "show me your papers" totally morally repugnant. I mean, I don't want to disrespect police officers (my closest friend is one), but you don't get to be a total authoritarian asshole just because you have a badge.
In a society where the citizens respect the police and the police respect the citizens then the Ferguson issue probably doesn't happen. And that's the issue I have. It's an us against them mentality on both sides. Cops are hated, so they don't get out in their communities to meet people, so they are viewed as "invading", they only show up to take your loved ones and their friends away, so they are hated, etc.
So yeah, the power asymmetry is too great, and it doesn't need to be for officers to be effective. In fact, I think it's doing the opposite. It's making their jobs harder.
In a society where the citizens respect the police and the police respect the citizens then the Ferguson issue probably doesn't happen. And that's the issue I have. It's an us against them mentality on both sides. Cops are hated, so they don't get out in their communities to meet people, so they are viewed as "invading", they only show up to take your loved ones and their friends away, so they are hated, etc.
So yeah, the power asymmetry is too great, and it doesn't need to be for officers to be effective. In fact, I think it's doing the opposite. It's making their jobs harder.