What killed Collins?

When I was in the third grade, a boy bit a girl twice in one week. For the rest of his elementary school career, he was known as a biter. The Portland Police Bureau needs to work quickly in proving to the public that they aren’t biters—that two officer-involved shootings in three months aren’t indicative of a trend. Portland is scared and angry right now, and we need to know that they still work for us.

Let’s be honest—no one likes the police. Their sunglasses and arrogant swagger add to an already overbearing presence. I’ll admit that I’ve played N.W.A. after being pulled over once or twice. But what bothers me the most is that I know the only things separating the fuzz from me are a badge and a gun. I forget that these men and women are ordinary people who face real danger everyday.

Officer Jason Walters shot Jack Dale Collins four times at Hoyt Arboretum. Protestors use Collins’ name but refer to Walters as the “police,” as if he had 30 armed men with him. Take all the names out of the equation, and what you’re left with is a sad but justified incident. A man was attacked by a box-cutter wielding assailant, and defended himself and the people around him. It becomes so much simpler when we stop thinking of the officer as a superhero, and begin to put ourselves in his shoes.

One of the comments on The Oregonian‘s Web site asked why the officer didn’t use a baton to try to disarm Collins. That’s a valid point. There is certainly a bevy of less-than-lethal weapons Walters could have used, but I don’t think they would have been effective. Officer Walters is a veteran, and the facts speak to his judgment. Collins was shot twice, and still charged Walters. He had to be shot twice more to be stopped. How effective would a Taser or bean bag have been when bullets didn’t work? If someone charged at you with a knife, would you use your gun or a stick?

According to research done by the Hillsboro Argus, there have been fewer than four officer-related shootings per 100,000 people served in the last five years. Compare that to Baltimore—which has 30—and you begin to feel a little safer in Portland. The Argus presents another interesting statistic: Since November of last year, there have been 20 deaths as a result of domestic violence. There have been 23 officer-involved shootings since 2004. It’s safe to say that there are bigger issues to address.

Collins wouldn’t have had to die if the community had gotten to him sooner. Aaron Campbell might still be alive if someone had given him grief counseling instead of a call to the police. Both men were in serious need of help and the signs were all there. Campbell pointed a gun at his head twice and threatened to kill himself in front of his girlfriend. Collins went to the police just 11 days before he was shot and confessed to a vague 42-year-old crime. He asked the officer conducting the interview if he could get mental health care. He was directed to Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare, but no one made sure he got there.

These two incidents not only reflect poorly on the police, but on the community as well. Campbell needed help long before the police were called. And take a look at the picture of Collins. You recognize him a little, don’t you? I swear I saw him almost every day by the food carts on Southwest Alder, but I didn’t do anything. I ignored him and countless others or paid them off with a dollar. I failed him. The community failed him.

Mourners gathered on Palm Sunday to remember the six people who were unarmed when they were killed by police. Four out of the seven high-profile killings, if Collins is included, were of victims with serious mental health problems. Portland police officers can only treat the symptoms, not the problem.

Officer Walters got to a man who was already at the end of his rope. Deadly force wasn’t his first option, it was a last resort in the sad life of a homeless man who didn’t get the treatment he needed sooner. Walters was forced to resolve a growing problem that the community needs to address. If Walters is under scrutiny, so are we.

At the end of the day, Officer Walters deserves to clock out and go home to his family. He’s just a man who happens to have a gun and a badge and chooses to serve his community.