when New York's finest isn't

Today is a Sunday and even feels like one. It's a warm, no-jacket day.

I go out wearing  only my new, relatively ineffective-but more-comfortable paper, disposable mask that finally arrived. I'm going to walk up the East River.  Me, and half of NYC.

So many people aren't wearing masks. 

I see a policeman. He has his blue paper mask (not an N-95) around his neck, talking to a pedestrian (also not wearing a mask) who is standing about three-feet away.

Me: 
Officer, I'm curious. Why aren't you stopping people who aren't wearing masks?

Officer: 
Why should I? A mask is only to protect you. If people don't care about protecting themselves, why should I care?

Me (in total disbelief but still trying to be respectful):
But your mask doesn't protect you from others. It only protects others from you.

Officer:
That's not true. You're wrong.

And it goes downhill from there.

The officer does provide me with his number when asked. 993. But he doesn't want to be photographed. This is the best I can do.

If our police are uniformed and stupid, how can we expect the public to be any better? 

Maybe I've been wrong. It's not selfishness that explains why so many aren't wearing masks. Maybe it's ignorance.