That is the most baffling element to the whole story. Just a few years from retirement, and she made several serious errors in that stop. For starters, the driver should have not been allowed so close to the driver's door. He should have been brought to the rear of the car, or to the curb on the passenger side. Then, firing any weapon into a crowded, tight area was dangerous to other officers. And she was actually training someone at the time? Just crazy.
What was she doing most of those 26 years? Writing parking tickets?