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Ammo weight is not a big issue for a city cop. The rifle sits in the rack inside the squad car or in the trunk 99.9999% of the time. They aren't humping rifles and ammo on foot all day long. Most engagements use the service revolver or pistol. By the time the rifle is an issue, they have called for SWAT to place snipers. This is mostly a "fluff" issue to permit officers to carry an AR-15 in the car.

I agree that weight of ammo is not an issue for police, but I am not all that certain this is a "fluff" issue. You might recall when the police were seriously out gunned by bank robbers, which I believe happened in California. The police were so seriously out gunned they had to raid the local gun store for AR-15s to keep from being blown away. Drug dealers are carrying more firepower than ever.

The police were so seriously out gunned they had to raid the local gun store for AR-15s to keep from being blown away.

The local sporting goods store equipped the police with the AR-15s. The police never returned the rifles or paid for them. Not long after that, California banned the rifles.