They aren't even "burdened" with the duty to actually protect people.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_v._District_of_Columbia
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I think it is always good to remember that police are law enforcement. That is their reason for existence. Protection is not necessarily part of the description. If you want to be saved, you call a firefighter. Police are there to punish.
Your last sentence is incorrect. Police should not be dealing out punishment. Police are not allowed to assign guilt or innocence. That falls under the courts.
That's the theory anyway. There's ample evidence that that's not how it works in practice.