Police in the US are not given what I would call excessive training with regards to firearms. Sure, most if not all of them are competent, but there is nothing a police officer learns that a US civilian cannot.
But they aren't getting this training.
To get a firearm for personal 'protection', you don't need to take a test to own a firearm (the Constitution stipulates this 'right'). You simply must be over 21, have no felonies on record, and wait a 48 to 72 hour period after completing the license application. Unfortunately, it's very simple to get a gun in most states.
Police officers are given extensive gun training, which is a vestige of pre-'equipment' (pepper spray and taser) training.
In a potential conflict, the order of operations that an officer follows generally goes like this:
- Officer presence - this solves most disputes
- Dialogue - "talking them down" from a threat of violence
- Sticky hands - getting close to them and ready for fisticuffs while maintaining dialogue
- Equipment - if an assault occurs, officers are encouraged to try either their baton or pepper spray before their taser.
- Sidearm - If all else fails. It's shoot-to-kill (aim for the heart), and not "maiming" like in the cop shows.
Unfortunately, cops are too quick to taser. It's effective and much less paperwork is needed after a taser incident, but tasers are still potentially lethal (over 300 people have been killed by tasers).