A culture of violent resistance has been created by a collection of factors, likely starting with the Garner (Tenn. v. Garner) decision, which came out when I was in law school. It was an unintended consequence, but that does not make it not a consequence.
As such, the training and equipping of officers has had to change. Remember first and foremost that a handgun is a secondary weapon, carried for convenience, not effectiveness. Those old time gunfighters did not use handguns when they expected a problem - they used rifles and shotguns if they could. Same here.
The complexities of societal expectations have resulted in a lowering of the standards for shooting, both decision making and physical skill. According to research by the USMC referred to by Pat Rogers when teaching, shooting skill shows deterioration at 7 days. What we see with better judgment training is that officers shoot sooner and more, even with better precision. That result scares the typical manager (as opposed to leader).
Policing is regional. If NYC, backup is often flooding in at 15 seconds or not much more. I've worked in place where 10-30 minutes was foreseeable, and there are places that are even worse. In addition, as we learn more about the performance improvements from mounted lights and red dots, which are made to work more easily with pistols, they are less and less optional.
Would I carry a revolver under some circumstances? Yes. When I started, I did - because that's what I had. Is a good G17 or M&P 9mm a far better choice almost all the time? Yes.
