This is your threadly reminder that courts have repeatedly upheld that police have no legal responsibility for your safety or to protect you from violent criminals. You are responsible for your own safety.
Simultaneously, in the US there is a well-established recognition of the right to self-defense. However, this is tempered by a minority of states imposing a duty to retreat. Seven states also impose a duty to comply with a criminal’s “negative demands” and one with both positive and negative criminal demands(!).
Some countries do not recognize the right to self defense and have no duty to protect, and there are all flavors in between, so YMMV depending on the country you live in or are visiting.
Castle Rock v Gonzales
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Town_of_Castle_Rock_v._Gonza...
Warren v District of Columbia
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_v._District_of_Columb...
DeShaney v Winnebago
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeShaney_v._Winnebago_County
Simultaneously, in the US there is a well-established recognition of the right to self-defense. However, this is tempered by a minority of states imposing a duty to retreat. Seven states also impose a duty to comply with a criminal’s “negative demands” and one with both positive and negative criminal demands(!).
https://reason.com/volokh/2022/01/26/the-right-to-defy-crimi...
Some countries do not recognize the right to self defense and have no duty to protect, and there are all flavors in between, so YMMV depending on the country you live in or are visiting.