Don't tell me we don't live in a police state:
There are lots of people who want to live in a police state, especially the police.
For them, it is not a police-state. It is always something else.
Check the literature for
1) Nazi Germany
2) Soviet Russia
3) Pol Pot Cambodia
4) North Korea
5) USA
None were called "police-states" by their operators, while they were police-states. But any IQ over room temperature can identify a police-state. It's a matter of whether there is lying and denial for personal gain.
In effect, the question is a litmus test for who is what. There is no argument in the matter.