It doesn't appear to be foul play or gross negligence by the mother. This is just a tragic set of circumstances.
Maybe she didn't understand, or just saw the 'California' part of the card.
Eleven months of stats aren't enough to gauge anything.
The boy seems to have been gone for just a minute. And she started frantically searching for him.
You could argue they're out patrolling high-crime areas and making more arrests.