An American policeman when I grew up in San Francisco:
Police today:
CASE CLOSED.
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860
One of the theories about the decline of the Roman Empire is that the Romans didn't understand (or respect) the toxicity of lead. Among other mistakes in handling the metal, they made eating and drinking utensils out of it thus poisoning themselves and weakening their society.