That’s one thing they do. If the job of police was to protect their own hearing - great. But that’s not their job.
Suppressors make it less-obvious to a novice that a loud sound is a gun, keeping bystanders from fleeing. They also make it harder for other police to determine the direction and distance of gunfire, and when police are shooting, they generally also want backup.
You appear to have answered your own question.
That’s one thing they do. If the job of police was to protect their own hearing - great. But that’s not their job.
Suppressors make it less-obvious to a novice that a loud sound is a gun, keeping bystanders from fleeing. They also make it harder for other police to determine the direction and distance of gunfire, and when police are shooting, they generally also want backup.