When one is in a position of authority, where they assume rights that the individual does not have, then even a single misuse of that authority by that person, no matter how minor, should lead to blackballing from ever being allowed to be in a position of authority again, including political office.

Want a police force that actually deserves respect? Then you must weed out the bad apples with vigor, and make it very clear that their behavior will not be tolerated.

We could start by getting rid of "qualified immunity" as it stands, and recraft it in a much narrower fashion.

I agree with all of that. Police need more training, higher standards, higher pay, and more consequences for misconduct or betraying their mission and values.

We also need to be more forgiving when mistakes are genuine.