^

It's not 'what I want to believe'- its what cops actually do- it would make them far less safe otherwise- I've heard many of them weigh in on this subject over the years.

If you agree that your trigger finger is your only real safety, than what is the point of not carrying a round in the chamber when not doing so could cost not only time but also negate the advantage of having a gun in the first place, especially when you've been fully trained in the use of that gun?

If you would concede that Zimmerman's scenario is plausible, where he was straddled and pummeled by an attacker intent on killing him, if a round hadn't been in the chamber he never would have been able to defend himself as there's no way he could have racked the slide (his gun was holstered at the start of the confrontation) and his gun would have been useless.