i don't know about other police forces in US, since this is an area that falls under "states rights", but in NYC, the police are supposed to file a report every time they un-holster their gun on the street, and they too, must account for every bullet, and file many, many reports if they fire gun on duty. (in fact, the officer is temporarilly (24 hours, 3 day of work!) given "desk duty" so that he/she will have time to complete the paperwork. )
over 90% of the NYC police force complete 20 years on the job with out ever firing a weapon on duty except for testing. (they are required to practice, and pass a marksmanship test every 5 years)
some cop shows have shoot outs every week. one of the reasons i like the cop show(s) law and order is that never once in all the episodes have the stars shot their weapons.. (other cops have, but not the stars of the show)-- they do occationally draw their weapons, but they have never fired them. this is "normal"-- shoot outs, while they make for dramatic stories, are rare. Not that you would know it from most TV shows or movies.
i don't worry much about cop's carrying guns in NYC.
some places in US are very similar, other places, like LA, have very different reputations.
