What kind of sick depraved world do we live in where bullies like this exist?

[Ronin13]

While sad, you cannot protect them, unless alerted by friends or family. Your job is reactive. react to a 911, DV, etc call.

False, good police work relies on preventative measures just as much as reactionary measures. While most of the job is handing calls, a lot of it is just presence to deter crime.

I'll admit up-front I've not read the article yet, but I take issue with this bit of your comment. I think bullying, while a problem, shouldn't be an issue for law enforcement generally. Yeah, I know there're exceptions (harassment etc), but my personal preference is to A) teach the person being bullied to stand up for themself (harder for people like this one yes, but I'm speaking generalities), B) teach the person to let it slide off their back ("why should I care what you think" mentality), and C) return the favor to the bully (by this I mean talk to their parents, let people know who did it, etc).

You must never have been bullied growing up, or have kids that have been bullied... Some things are quite easy to say, but doing them is a completely different ball game. And I'm not talking of your typical bullying- read the article, these kids make threats of violence, rape, and murder, I would definitely investigate that and hope there is something there to give to the DA.