Why 99% of the time I'll defend the folks in blue

First off I was a cop in the 70's and 80's. The money was crap. The training for the time was OK. I got my firearms training through the Ohio Highway patrol. The rest of my certification was through the Mahoning County Sheriffs department. So I may lean towards the cops side. Now all this garbage about the blue line is crap. Those who best understand are usually other cops.

Are there bad cops? Tell me what profession doesn't have bad apples. Difference being a cop may go rogue and have a bad excuse to seriously hurt someone or even kill them. And get away with it. I'm not going to try and explain what pressures there are for a person who has only seconds sometimes to make a life and death situation. Just know if wrong or accidental that mistake will never go away.

What makes no sense to me is how folks defend a cop who panicked and killed an innocent unarmed woman half his size. Then lied about it. If he admitted he was scared and screwed up, it would be understandable. Now the same folks will side with known criminals trying to kill a cop. Why? Finally those same folks would call the police the moment they think their life's in danger. 

Go figure.