Rather than battle the police, our enemy is now one of them. Traditionally, Cyberpunk protagonists have had reason to fear the "state" and representatives of it, be they politicians, corporate executives or police officers. And here, we see a perfect example of why we can't trust them. Because they are, literally, part of the machine. The first film had it slightly wrong. Whereas the police there were merely incompetent, here they are (figuratively at least) the bad guys.
— Michael Fiegel, "Condensed Cyberpunk Cinema Classics:
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 2: Judgment Day