Useless cops

Tonight I heard this guy on the street wailing in pain/terror. It was a blood curdling sound. So I leaned out the window and there was a passer by who was calling 911. About 10 minutes later an NYPD cruiser pulled up and two portly cops waddled out onto the scene. By this time the guy was kind of thrashing around, obviously very disturbed. The cops didn't seem very interested. They halfheartedly put on a pair of rubber gloves and stood back and watched. Meanwhile the guy was getting worse, and an old lady came out of a nearby building to see what was up. She and the passer by were attempting to stop the guy from thrashing around. It got pretty violent at one point, the guys legs were kicking up in the air, he was screaming, punching with his fists and generally going nuts. So I'm up in my apartment watching these two civilians, one an old lady, trying to restrain this psychotic dude while the two cops stood at least 6 feet back, one with hands in pockets, the other apparently browsing on his cellphone. You cannot make this stuff up. Even when the lady got kicked in the face, they just stood there and made no attempt to do anything. 
 
After about 5 minutes of this an ambulance showed up and the paramedics struggled to get him strapped onto a stretcher. Again the cops made no attempt to help. It was only when the guy was safely in the ambulance that they became animated - at this point two more cruisers pulled up and 4 more portly officers waddled forth, all determined looking, notebooks out, conferring with each other, trying to look like they were "taking action" when in fact the "action" had been handled very ably by two ordinary members of the public and a couple of paramedics. It was honestly like the cops were just clueless about what to do, they looked like helpless children. I see this kind of stuff all the time with the NYPD and it makes me so mad. 

I'm not sure what more money would have done in this case. Maybe snazzier gloves?

What's the problem here?
 
 1) They were Courteous and kept a safe distance from the "thrasher"
 2) They showed Professionalism and called for backup/help
 3) They Respected the public wanting to help and didn't interrupt
 

We used to be driven mad by *ing scaffolding alarms in London (scaffolding right outside our flat).  Pretty much every bloody night this thing would kick off, 2 am, 3 am whatever.
 
One night, the police turned up, a couple in a car.  Then some more turned up, then a few others a little while later.  The alarm was still sounding.  They looked at the scaffolding.  They all drove away.
 
The alarm was still sounding.
 
HOWEVER!! -> the scaffolding was not stolen!  Yay!

sharke
I'm not sure what more money would have done in this case. Maybe snazzier gloves?

Rohh

sharke is British, he's not a New Yorker.

sharke

bapu
sharke is British, he's not a New Yorker.

Once you've been here 10 years you're officially a New Yorker, and I've been here almost 15 so that makes me a New Yorker and a half...

And yes, NYC is the center of the known universe.

Can I have your Britishness then?

eph221
does anyone like my feckin muzak?

worst possible shameless plug
(i.e. no links)

At least he got into the ambulance alive. All too frequently, police approach mentally disturbed people with guns drawn and feel justified in killing them if they get within reach, since there is now a deadly weapon (the one in their hand or holster), available to the psychotic. If I am ever acting that crazy, I would hope the police would keep their distance until unarmed help arrives. Our police are trained and equipped to combat criminals, not to assist the mentally ill. 

I overdid my acid washed jeans once.
 
Where were the cops then?

"Slow down, you're moving way too fast" ~L.Willaims, covered by The Beatles