The stabbing of an 8-month-old baby, allegedly by the mother during a visit to a social service's office, is raising all kinds of questions, mostly about security at the sprawling office on East Biddle Street.
How did the mother get by security with what police described as a long kitchen knife inside a bag? State officials say visitors go through a metal detector, have their bags searched and have to present ID, and they're investigating whether proper procedures were followed.
But city police have already said that the woman didn't have ID on her when she was arrested. And the union representing social workers is complaining that the private security company has repeatedly failed to keep people safe.
And a caller raised another question -- what is the criteria for allowing parents to visit children that in many cases had already been taken away from them? Police described the mother as unbalanced, and receiving psychiatric care before charges are even contemplated.
We'll seek some more answers today. I fear though that the answeres will be shrouded in secrecy that prevails over the Department of Social Services.
