As a result of this inicident, NBC News ran a brief snipet "Are the Police Outgunned?". My wife watched intently and asked my opinion. (I am a 26 yr LEO veteran. I am also an Academy Range Instructor and Defensive Tactics Instructor.) I explained to her that these recent police shootings had nothing to do with the guns. It was all about mind set. A police officer is trained to keep the PEACE and approaches each situation with the mindset of a PEACEFUL RESOLUTION. The perpetrators in these police shootings have already made up their minds to resolve the situation with gunfire. This puts the officer at a huge disadvantage. Not only have these officers been ambushed, they entered the scene not expecting a fire fight. This is difficult to explain but, for example, a soldier goes into a patrol situation with his gun out and ready to fire. His MIND is also ready for gunfire as he is already in an adversarial situation. A Police Officer, however, does NOT know what he is getting into until he is into it. If the police were more heavy handed, there would be a public outcry of "fascism" and "police state". Policing has evolved over the years to reflect how society wants us to police. This puts the nutjobs at an advantage but it is the unfortunate price of civilization.
+1, excellent post.