If you compare the standards to let’s say: Switzerland (2 years in the academy, the candidate must graduate with a diploma in policing. The first year is theoretical: mainly in the classroom learning about law, tactics and de-escalation. The second year is spent on the job in practical field training with a respective police force).
While police training in the US varies on state: but it’ll last up to 16-21 weeks (it’s pretty bad) before they’re sent on the streets, no wonder why you hear about cops resorting to violence first rather than a de-escalation. There’s an example from Norway where cops didn’t point their guns at a drunk guy, instead they laughed with him.
Both Norway & Switzerland DO NOT have qualified immunity for officers, meaning they are subjected to the same laws as every other citizen. But apparently the USA likes to consider cops above the law via qualified immunity (which is a reason why you barely hear an American cop being held accountable for their actions).
The responses are different: since US cops are like “GET DOWN!” or “DROP YOUR WEAPONS!” while Norwegian cops are like “Please, stop doing that” being said in a more pacifist tone that doesn’t evoke hostility (that’s an issue you hear from American cops, as they shoot first rather than trying to talk their way out).
First hand experience in CA, the training is pretty minimal and you’re basically thrown into the deep end. It’s like reading about driving and then your first driving experience is the Indy 500.
Most people you interact with are belligerent (cus 99% of the time you’re not there to help them) or mentally off (yay for the lack of societal safety nets) and it’s drilled into you that every encounter could be deadly
I think the training is crap because of historical reasons initially, but now because it’s a political machine and there’s no reason for those in power to want to change it. They’re seeing the results they want to see, otherwise things would’ve changed by now.