That's an interesting comment and I agree somewhat.That officer was admirably reserved and level headed to be met with that kind of attitude right off the bat. Just one more reason I don't think I would make a good officer. I feel compelled to try to get people to see the error of their ways which probably wouldn't go over too well in uniform.
In high school I worked for a police officer that had a part time job putting up neon and lighted signs, so I interacted with lots of his buddies in the process.
He was becoming disillusioned with the city policies he had to work under. He did a month where he gave a lot of traffic tickets, and then did a month of doing warnings on traffic violations unless they were egregious and warranted a higher level.
He was counseled by supervision that he wasn't "doing his job" by issuing warnings.
Fast forward about 15 or so years, my mother worked for the city treasurer's office. The Chief of Police would come into her area and ask if sales tax rebates from the state were up or down. If down, the DUI "safety check points" would increase and the local news paper would show an increase in police calls.
Don't have any proof what so ever that cities enforce laws to increase revenue, other than personal observation, but the internet is full of similar reports.
Like you, I can say if I wanted to do that job, it would be for the better ideal and not for the political part of that job.