Far be it from me to knock anyone's lifestyle or background - be they rich or poor. But it hardly seems you're in a position to generalize your "nation" as being "law abiding." (your neighborhood, perhaps...) And Yes, you should feel very proud to be at a certain class-level and yet remain a "law abiding" good citizen, Bravo!

Locally, New York Cops had a pretty bad reputation for themselves. There is a Racial divide in existence here that may (or may not be) prevelant in Moscow. This divide contributed to the public's conception of cops (majority of which are "white" of "targeting" minorities. (Ironically) It took a disaster like 9/11 (where hundreds of officers lost their lives) to quell the negative image of the NYPD and nowadays, they have an overly positive, and prestigious image in the eyes of New Yorkers, and most of Americans.

I believe that MOST Police officer's tend to migrate towards "financial supplementation" simply because they don't get paid enough and they have the power to take advantage of situations. (Although here, they tend to go and steal from drug-dealers & mafia, hardly ever touching tourists or foreign nationals.)

Perhaps, you can become some sort of diplomat and convince everyone else that the presumptions, assumptions, folk-lore [whatever] of the gravity of Russian criminal activities, and the "Crooked" Reputation of Russian Cops are just plain-old negative stereotypes & complete mis-conceptions...

until then my my "law-abiding" friend, please accept my thanks for doing your part in keeping Russia a nice place to visit. Reach over and pat yourself on the back for a job well-done.