But, as LEOs, they should be held to a higher standard.
Cops should NEVER initiate the violence. But when violence ensues, they should have the right/duty to use violence to end it, with public safety paramount.
In our legal system, you may not physically defend yourself until attacked. Threats are not sufficient to justify a violent reaction. Merely looking dangerous is not sufficient justification. Just as citizens are prosecuted for violating this common sense restriction to self defense, so to, should police.
A major crisis is developing in our country, as more & more groups are claiming entitlements not given to others. Politicians are entitled to a lavish lifestyle. Blacks are entitled to preferential treatment in economic opportunities. Muslims are entitled to avoid Obamacare. Police, controlled by unions, another entitled class, are abusing their authority.
Justice is supposed to be blind, & therefore incapable of telling a uniform from a hoodie. Justice, I believe, would say the police initiated the violence & therefore are responsible for its consequences.
If your eyes have never deceived you, you must have been blind since birth. (No offense intended to blind people.) Things are often not what they initially seem. Most of us learn that it is unwise to violently react without first assessing the situation. Haste makes waste. When the zombie jumps out of the bushes, we don't immediately pull the glock & empty it - it might very well be a joke. As long as you are not being assaulted, you have time to think. Ten seconds is not thinking, it is reacting.
If the law allows police to shoot anyone that looks, in their OPINION, dangerous, but has committed no violent act, then we truly live in a police state.
That is false. The legal standard can be found in any "justified use of deadly force" statute. It is to reasonably believe there is a risk of serious injury or death.
-- Merely looking dangerous is not sufficient justification. --
True for a "civilian" (what the cops view the public as), but the practical legal standard for cops allows them much more latitude in use of deadly force.
-- Police, controlled by unions, another entitled class, are abusing their authority. --
Union or not, cops have long held a "us vs. them" view of the world. And they stick together like glue, with ample assistance and support from the law, judges and prosecutors.
I think you need a refresher course in the Law.
The standard for self-defense is “Reasonable Expectation” of death or injury.