-Pin_Cushion-

staying calm and patient

This is likely a huge challenge. Every interaction I've ever had with police felt like they were late for something else, no matter if I was the victim of a crime or getting a ticket. It's something that is likely not emphasized in their training, but if someone's having a psychotic episode that's so out of control that the police are called then it's probably pretty intense.

Which means those responders need to be aware that resolving that situation without violence may take a very long time! There really aren't any short cuts I know of to getting someone who literally sees/feels spiders crawling all over their body (for example) to chill a little and focus on some stranger telling them to sit on the ground and be still.

But frustration and impatience will just guarantee that the encounter will end badly. I feel like police are often trained to seize control of a situation quickly and completely, but that strategy just gets people hurt when it's used on people with major mental issues.

they signed up to catch bad guys, not be social workers

How awful it must be to sign up to catch bad guys and spend your days writing speeding tickets, breaking up fist fights between friends/spouses, chasing the occasional teenage vandal, and talking damaged people out of doing tragic things.

I guess that's why so many cops seem perpetually pissed off. They've got to be so bored!