It could have been my dad

CW: Depression, OCD, mental illness, unexpected death, suicide, police violence

Wednesday, Tigard police were called to an apartment complex less than a mile from my home. Jacob Macduff's roommate says he was having a mental-health crisis, and she called for help. Reportedly, Jacob had been struggling for some time, and police were aware of the situation. 

Police reported that he was armed with a knife and wouldn't leave his car. They said they tried to arrest Jacob and ended up fatally shooting him.

OK - here's where I'm going to get really personal.

Three years ago, my own father was suffering a mental-health crisis. He'd been in a downward spiral, his depression and OCD becoming too much to handle. The recent death of his father, with whom he had a very complicated relationship, played a big role.

Dad's situation played out differently from Jacob's, but I can't help but wonder what could have happened.

My dad took an overdose of his medication, ending his life. We believe it was unintentional. (more about his illness)

But what if, in taking that medication, he'd become agitated? What if he'd become confused? What if he'd become belligerent? What if he'd become violent? What if he'd become a perceived danger to himself or to Mom?

What if Mom had come home and found him in crisis? A situation she couldn't handle on her own? 

She would have called 911. And instead of sending a mental-health crisis team, police officers would have responded. Because that's how it works.

And what happens when those officers don't know how to handle that agitation, confusion, belligerence, violence, or threat of potential danger?

It's absolutely not a stretch to say that my dad could easily have ended up like Jacob. And that's not OK.

We desperately need to change our policing system and our response to people in crisis.