I had the exact opposite experience in cambridge in 2006. I saw some kids trying to steal a vespa and called the police, dispatch didn't give me any hope that the situation would actually be addressed even though i could see it happening a block away from me.
about ten minutes later, i get a call from the police to go id the kids about a quarter mile away. about two months later, i got a summons to testify out by ashmont. i didn't really connect "i see something" with "i will say something in court" when i called and it gave me an appreciation for the realities of witness intimidation.
in contrast, someone walked through my office once and lifted a couple ipads and a few wallets. mountain view police came by about half an hour later, took a report, and that's the last i heard of it. some things are easier to deal with and a small robbery like that i'm told is basically a lost cause.
i often found cambridge, somerville and medford police and fire were impressively responsive, even for relatively minor complaints, but i'm sorry you and your friends' experiences have been lackluster.