Officers have an extremely short reaction time and will rapidly fill up the corridor if given even a sliver of time, so stopping and shooting some down is a losing strategy, especially if armed with only a pistol. The first hallway is flanked by a few dozen officers, which are mercifully deaf, for the most part. Episode 6 is a gauntlet of grueling levels packed with enemies, and it doesn't start you off with an easy level either.
