Good post. Armed with only a pistol against an assailant with a rifle, I would also have some fear as to the outcome, but I agree as a salaried deputy, it’s a risk that comes with the job, and he should have acted courageously. Sadly the courts have ruled that cops really have no “duty” to protect. If that’s the case, what good are they?
If I had frozen in any of those instances, I would have been court martialed and that is a fate I would have deserved. My Navy just worked that way.
What good are they? Well, they help keep the donut population under control.