To be fair, “A cop on every corner” is the very definition of a police state. In England, it’s cameras watching your every move.
Like you said;
Be armed. Be prepared. Be aware.
It’s been like this since the dawn of man and it’s never going to change.
True ... and where I live, response time may be more like 20 minutes. Part of "prepared" would seem to be knowing your local police response time, and being able to repel attackers for at least that long. I like this guy's computerized security system; helps to know what you're dealing with.