I hate the response of the city council.
They should all be fired!
Just for that response.

No plan of action, just "we will try harder"

Here, the police could have been heroes, but they turned out to be zeros.
And they aren't really to blame, as in 9 out 10 of these calls turn out to be nothing.  Sometimes pranks, and sometimes the person gets unstuck by themselves, and there is nothing to be seen by the time the police show up.

So, if the actions of the police are believed to honest, and not criminally neglectful, then dispatch didn't send any clear directives. "Stuck in the rear of the car", would have been all it took for me to start looking in every vehicle window.

So, dispatch radio recordings will indicate which is true.