I really wish his column had some resolution to the story. How did he deal with the issue?

How the issue was resolved wasn't the point of the article. Probably similar situations to the one described play themselves out every day, and each one has a different resolution. It's tough to be a cop, given the limitations of what "the system" can really do for people in this situation. We can't lock them all up, nor can we rehabilitate all of them.