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I would say it is mostly a difference in how dogs are deployed in law enforcement. Dogs are used mostly to smother or stop someone while officers quickly come in to back up the dog and restrain the suspect.
This does not work well when sending the dog too far from the backup, as in your example, where the two dogs were killed and injured.
The original way, of holding someone at bay once they started fighting with a weapon, and only biting when the person ran or attacked the handler worked better for these scenarios. The dog was used mainly as a bodyguard for the officer and not as much as for the apprehension. The original way is definitely better for personal protection.
You can sort of compare how plott hounds are used vs bulldogs on a hog hunt. You wouldn’t want a bulldog on a hog (especially by itself) for too long on a hog without the handler, but the Plott hounds will do fine. But, the hound won’t control a combative hog well enough for the hunter to make the stick.
The same analogy can be made for using different types of dogs on humans. It depends on what is better for the situation and what the handler most needs the help with.
