Progressive Politics

Being a cop is a less dangerous job than being a pizza delivery driver. The vast majority of cops go their entire careers without firing a shot except at the range. Yet they act like every time they stop someone for speeding they're about to be murdered.

It's a fact that because of the American gun culture that's more true in the US than it is in most countries. So, maybe as long as the US has guaranteed gun rights and the accompanying gun culture, US cops will be in slightly more danger than cops around the world. But, there's no reason that the job couldn't fundamentally be about keeping people safe vs. shooting bad guys.

Besides the fact that police come from slave-catchers and are an institution which should be entirely abolished, perhaps replaced with state-run SWAT teams for the scenarios that actually require an armed response and community safety officers for everything else, what you're talking about is largely a result of the so-called ""War on Terror"". There was so much extra equipment from the Middle East that much of it was given for free to police officers. Military equipment plus military training (see "The Rise of the Warrior Cop") resulted in police that view and treat America like a battleground and all citizens as potential threats.