Tbh I was being a little disingenuous because I know what's happening, and has been happening for decades: police/crime reporters employ passive voice to diminish police culpability for their actions so they have sympathetic contacts within the force in order to break news earlier than their competitors.

We saw this in Virginia last week when a sheriff's deputy catfished some teen and killed her whole family and the news outlet referred to him as an "ex-police worker" and then an "ex-trooper" despite having only acquired the "ex-" distinction after he was killed in a shootout with police.