Crime & Safety
Police: 'Failure' in Hospital System Led to Man's Arrest
Thomas Burke has had over 40 interactions with local police in the last couple years.
The Union Leader reported that Thomas J. Burke, 30, who was arrested Wednesday after he threatened police officers with a large kitchen knife, has had over 40 interactions with police over the last few years. The paper reported Burke was ordered by a judge to be returned to the state hospital or be held at county jail on $50,000 bail.
Police told the paper that Burke's recent release from the state hospital, and the fact that Burke has required several involuntary commitments the last few years, "is a failure of the system." The state hospital's CEO told the Union Leader the hospital does not function as a jail or prison but works to treat patients.
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