I dont think that's fair. If the job of the police is to run into life and death situations on a continually basis, how much pay is too much? Shouldn't they be paid $1 million? But that's the the life of a police officer. As others have pointed out, it can be a very mundane thing with lots of tasks more suited to a clerk.
No one is criticizing the bravery or heroism of police, many of whom are just that - brave and heroic. However, the idea of paying those people a salary commiserate with the most dangerous task they have is simply not sustainable. And while brave and heroic are commendable traits, for most officers, you dont need to be a genius. That was the original point. You could be an average student, graduate high school and become a police officer making $100,000 after 5 years. We're not talking astronauts where I imagine many aspects of the job are very mundane and boring but also have instances of extreme danger...and you also have to be a genius (give or take).
Again, no one is critical of the bravery of police officers. And keep in mind, as those young people were running from the scene, dont pretend that the only people running in to help were officers, medics and fire fighters. Many brave and heroic people ALWAYS step up in times like that to help others...and they dont do it because they're paid to.