Now ye're talking - to a US police officer

I'll try and consolidate answers as best I can:

How would you compare your duties and risks associated to somewhere like here
Where beat officers only carry a telescopic baton/

Policing is policing, the context is just different for an unarmed police force. With little to no risk of an armed encounter, the baton seems appropriate enough. Having said that, I can't imagine an armed encounter with only a baton. Without a deadly force option, it does require a different skill set (de-escalation, etc.)

Do you think the overlapping forces of City/State/Feds leads to better or worse policing in your jurisdiction?

In my opinion the multiple jurisdictions is inefficient and wasteful, especially at the local level. In my county, pop 1.3 million, we have 26 local agencies, all essentially doing the same job for their relevant patch. One small town has a whole seven officers. These small agencies don't have any real capacity, limited career progression and usually don't pay well. The larger agencies end up providing support (crime scene, SWAT, etc.) because they are essentially a security force. According to the US Dept. of Justice, 60% of the police agencies in the US have 40 officers or less. This is a problem when it comes to training standards, education and officer quality.

Is it a career path you would like to see your younger family members go down or would you advise against it?

Should we legalise weed? How much of your time is spent dealing with weed and how pointless is it to try and police the issue?

The decision to legalise weed is for society & the policy makers to decide. I'm personally fine with legalizing it although I've never tried it and don't intend to. Legalizing weed will remove a whole layer of profit from drug cartels and reduce the burden on the court system. In my agency, we've always had a pretty tolerant informal attitude to it. I rarely make an arrest for very small amounts of MJ as I have better things to do with my time. Beyond a single joint, it's jail time. While we have a lot of officer discretion, we are duty bound to comply with the law. Is it pointless? Is traffic policing pointless, I don't think so. We'll do our best to enforce the laws as best we can, so until it's made legal, we'll follow the law.

It's a great career, would deffo support a family member doing it. yes, there are issue in law enforcement, but it's an incredible way to serve your community. It won't always be easy and it can be very challenging, but it is rewarding like nothing else.

Do you wear a body camera? If not, what are your thoughts on having to wear on if it was made mandatory?

As stated in the introduction, we are in progress of fielding them. I'm a big fan of them. I have nothing to hide and don't fear them. I see it as an extension of the car cameras (which we've had, by state law) for nearly 20 years. The body cams are still a work in progress as regards when are they recording, how long is data stored, who will have access, etc? If I'm getting a coffee and Joe Bloggs walks up to ask directions, do I need to record that encounter? If I'm taking a burglary report in a residence and the owner is in his/her underwear and have other embarrassing personal items on display does that need to be recorded? bear in mind, most of what we'll record is going to be available under the open records acts here. These are issues for the leaders and lawyers to sort out.

Is there a TV show (apart from reality shows) that accurately represents what it's like to be a cop, such as The Wire, or is much of the stuff on TV just Hollywood BS.

Other than The Wire (my favourite) it's all just fantasy. A 3AM barking dog call or minor traffic accident does not make for exciting TV or movies. Going back, Hill Street Blues was good and for some UK flavour, Scott and Bailey was very authentic.

Considering the current tech (ANPR) car recognition, and incoming tech (wearable cams), what's your view on the likely approach of 'people recognition'.
I.E. (FRS) 'facial recognition systems'. Is it just a small sacrifice of freedom, in the interest of crime {prevention}? Or will it lead to a surveillance state (like some regions of China). The UK Met are having trials (300 faces, per second can be read and ID'd instantly via 5G comms).
One news clip showed a chap complain about it (on his way into a shopping centre), and got handed a 80 note fine for obstruction or public order for his troubles. Bear in mind, at least x3 US cities have already banned it.

For body cams, see above.
FRS: The intersection of emerging technology like FRS and law enforcement will be a political/social/legal decision for society at large. As it stands right now platforms like Google, Apple & Facebook know more about us than ever anticipated and we continue to willingly sign up for these platforms. Google maps can determine your location down to a metre right now. Of course, these are voluntary, one doesn't have to have a mobile although life would be very inconvenient. I'm an advocate of constitutional protections, but I suspect we will see these platforms evolving and being used more and more, especially once the technology becomes more accurate and refined.

What's your favourite donut shop and which flavour do you usually go for?
Doughnuts are disgusting, I don't eat them, never have and neither do most cops I know.

I'd imagine being on the beat that long, you will come across all sorts of things. Whats something that will always stick with you, negatively or positively?

Negative: The constant whining from "good citizens" who complain about a traffic ticket or the same ungrateful good citizens who complain because we didn't show up in 5 minutes for the noisy neighbour call on a busy Friday night. Get over yourselves and put it in perspective. Best way to avoid a traffic ticket? Slow down, wear a seat belt and follow the law.

Positive: Working with committed professionals who do more than people know to help the community. I've seen officers buy food for homeless, stay late to give a stranded person a lift and just work their arses off to do the job. The unsolicited "thanks" from the public helps too.

Where do you serve? My brother is in LAPD for the last 12 years.

I'm in Texas, won't say more beyond that on a public forum. Well done him on LAPD.