The police made a mistake not following up on a nonfatal stabbing, and the assailant later stabbed and killed another person, (“Two families devastated by Portland police mistake: ‘Now somebody’s dead,’” Dec. 27).
But there are other mistakes here. The first stabbing victim did not report the attack for several days. And we are all mistaken if we expect our police to conduct psychological evaluation with the people they arrest or question, attempting to ascertain who is a threat and who isn’t.
Their job is to protect us. Although a case can be made that they failed in this instance, the larger picture tells us it is not their job to assess mental illness day after day, month after month, year after year. Some people need help the police cannot and are not expected to provide.
Perhaps it’s time to take a closer look at mental health in our community and in our country. Mentally ill people cannot help themselves, so we must intercede — if not in a spirit of compassion, then in the hope that we will all be safer.
Barbara King, Portland