F.R.S. and Heaven ????

You guys do nothing but whine about everything! Your sarcasm, smart-a$$ed, better-than-everyone-else-who-is-not-a-cop, crappy attitude thinking your badge gives you the right to do whatever you want. This in itself tells me the majority of you are unhappy, disgruntled pukes. And don't hand me the b.s. that everyone adores you, that makes me want to throw up. Get over yourself, you are not as highly esteemed as you think you are. And you chose your profession knowing the risks involved, you can leave it at anytime if you are that afraid! Honestly, your benefits and pay are not as bad as you claim, they are definitely in line with the national average...and you have one thing those of us in the private sector do not have---JOB SECURITY!! That's right, how many of you idiots have been laid off no matter how worthless you are? Zero, zilch, nada. This mandatory retirement contribution is long overdue. In fact, your portion should be a lot more. Why don't we just scrap FRS altogether and let you fund your retirement 100% like everyone else?

Whats the matter "little man"......does your dog even refuse to listen to or respect you? I too agree that we have job security.....thanks to lame people like you who call 911 everytime they hear a bump in the night. Or then again, your probably the type that yells outside how "you will sue them" !

We see more tragedy, horror and gore in one day than most people see in a lifetime. The stressors are overwhelming. Study after study shows that law enforcement over any other occupation is and emotionally and physically dangerous job. here are some links and articles for you civilians :

*** it's interesting that the claim that farming is more dangerous than police work isn't backed up by anything but statistical research. I tried finding articles about PTSD and farmers, stressors in farming. Shortened life span and health problems due to the dangers of farming and I came up with nothing. :lol:


http://www.cji.edu/papers/Post%20Tra...20Disorder.pdf


POLICE SUICIDE: Understanding Grief & Loss
Beverly J. Anderson, Ph.D., B.C.E.T.S.
Clinical Director, Metropolitan Police Employee Assistance Program (MPEAP)
President, Beverly Anderson Associates, Inc., Washington, D.C.
http://www.giftfromwithin.org/html/policesd.html

More than any other occupation, law enforcement is an emotionally and physically dangerous job. Police officers continually face the effects of murder, violence, accidents and disasters. Rotating shifts, long hours and exposure to life's tragedies exact a heavy toll on police officers and their families. The results are alarming: high divorce rates, suicide, domestic violence, heart attacks, cancer, depression and alcoholism. Law enforcement, the media, and the public foster the myth that police officers can experience trauma and violence without suffering any ill effects. Research has shown just the opposite: when stressors are prolonged and overwhelming, an individual's ability to cope becomes difficult.

Suicide is a serious problem that is not often talked about in police circles. It is very hard, if not impossible, for us to understand why someone chooses to end his or her life. Shock and disbelief are usually the first responses to an officer's suicide.

Reactions After a Suicide
Reactions to suicide can sometimes be irrational and destructive. Remember, no one can "second-guess" or take responsibility for another person's reactions to the events that are happening in his or her life. And suicide is not the only response to life's problems. Suicide is the ultimate act of violence that hurts many people around the victim.

Anger and guilt are two very natural and normal responses to suicide. Yet, these emotions are very difficult for police officers to talk about. However, many friends and family members of the suicide victim talk about having feelings of guilt for not preventing the suicide. They believe that they should have seen it coming. Sometimes suicide is an impulsive act, one that has not really been planned out by the victim. A major difference between the general public and police officers is the immediate availability of a weapon. When a police officer decides to commit suicide, he or she doesn't have to go out and get a gun - the means are available at all times. In fact, the number "one" method of suicide by police officers is their gun.

Anger is normal after suicide and should be expressed - it's part of the grieving process. Sometimes the anger is directed towards the victim. It doesn't mean that you didn't love the person because you're angry. I don't believe that people who commit suicide understand the pain it causes for family and friends. For children, a parent's suicide leaves a lifetime legacy of torment. Many child survivors have told me that their parents didn't love them enough to stay and persevere through life's problems.

Sometimes anger is misdirected at family members, friends, colleagues or organizations. Anger can be very isolating since it can distance people from each other. It's not pleasant being around someone who is always angry. Talk about your anger to someone who can help you understand it.

Otherwise you may say or do things that you will regret later on. You have every reason to be angry - that's okay. (Anger is often a common emotion for police officers anyway). What's not okay is taking out your anger unfairly on yourself or others.

Your anger is not going to go away on its own. Unless you find a way to express it, you may suffer emotionally or physically from its effects. You could become verbally abusive to citizens or family members. When you find yourself short on patience, quick to lash out and criticize or lethargic and emotionally down, it's time for professional help. Another response is emotional numbing where you just don't feel anything.

Reactions after a violent suicide, especially for those who find the person, are more complicated and intense. While most police officers have seen the aftermath of violent suicides, it's much different when the victim is a fellow officer. The shock and horror upon discovering the victim and the image that is engrafted in the mind can be overwhelming. Grief becomes more complex when this occurs. The mental picture will remain with the person sometimes accompanied by flashbacks, nightmares and thoughts.

Police officers all too often stuff their feelings so as to not appear weak. But emotions are normal and in order to heal, you must unburden what you have had to endure - you must tell the story. Discovering the body of a friend or loved one is shocking and painful - an experience that you will never forget. It is important to share the powerful emotions that this experience brings.

Healing & Recovery
Be gentle with yourself and your fellow officers. Grieving is a long process - one that is very personal and sometimes difficult to understand.

Talk to friends, co-workers, and family about the suicide. While traditionally this is very hard for police officers to do, it's a vital part of healing and recovery.

Unlike a "line of duty" death, police suicides are often enshrouded in shame and silence. While social attitudes have become more informed about suicide, there remains a stigma that people must deal with. All too often people are quick to form judgments. Survivors are left to somehow make sense of this terrible tragedy maybe even feeling responsible in some way for contributing to it.

It is important to discourage rumors about the "reason" for the suicide. While seeking to place blame on others is a natural response, it's not helpful in the long run. Besides, life is very complicated and there are usually several contributing factors in a suicide death. To think that one person or one event is the sole cause is not consistent with what we know about suicide. We can never know for sure what is going on in another person's mind any more than we can know all the reasons that cause a person to choose suicide.

GO TO THE FUNERAL. No matter what your beliefs or feelings are about suicide, funerals are an important ritual for closure and acceptance of the reality that the person has died. It is a final "goodbye" that we share with each other.

Taking Care of Each Other
There exists among police officers a very special bond. One reason for this is that police officers are isolated from the rest of the world by virtue of the kinds of work-related events they experience.

They are bonded in tragedy and the knowledge of how cruel life can be. The everyday stress of being a police officer can lead to serious difficulties when you add personal problems, too. The "image armor" that the public and the media portray also places a burden on police officers. But police officers have problems like anyone else.

When a fellow officer is experiencing personal problems, get involved by suggesting to him or her that help is available. A major contributing factor in police suicide is marital and relationship problems. It is also the number "one" reason why people come to the MPEAP. The job of policing affects an officer's family more than any other job I know. Since 1988 over 6,000 MPD Officers, officials and family members have come to us for counseling. There is no cost to you and the funds for MPEAP do not come out of your dues.

The MPEAP is a Union - negotiated benefit that is privately contracted and staffed by licensed therapists with over 70 years of combined clinical experience.

All counseling is confidential except in life threatening situations. Officers are informed about this policy before they talk to us. When an officer is suicidal, the MPEAP's policy in all cases is to remove the officer's weapon and provide medical intervention immediately. There really is no other way. Many people have considered suicide at some point in their lives. This does not mean that they are "suicidal." Conversely, there are some people who do not talk about suicide before taking their lives. Each case is unique and not always easy to predict despite the warning signs. However, the early warning signs in and of themselves indicate that intervention and/or counseling may be warranted.

Early Warning Signs
Know some of the early warning signs and get help. They are:

1. Personal and financial problems for which the officer feels there are no solutions
2. Increase in alcohol use
3. Work-related problems
4. Divorce or break-up of a relationship
5. Increase in sick days
6. Mood swings
7. Depression
8. Recent death in the family
9. Exposure to a work-related trauma
10. Use of deadly force




The Relationship of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder to Law Enforcement:
The Importance of Education
Gary G. Felt, M.A., M.H.C.

http://www.aaets.org/article92.htm

In just over the past decade it has become common knowledge that law enforcement personnel, along with other emergency services workers, are a population highly prone to suffering with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). As a direct result of their work, there is regular involvement with traumatic events over the course of their entire careers. This is especially true for those of us working in the field of critical incident stress management. For those individuals in law enforcement, however, who generally entered into their careers as physically and mentally "strong," highly idealistic, and caring people, PTSD is often quite baffling. Moreover, it is a concept that is hard to accept by those who are following the mantra "to protect and serve." Understanding the needs of this unique population, highly prone to PTSD, is imperative for mental health professionals attempting to assist survivors with healing and moving beyond this disorder.

When discussing PTSD within the law enforcement community, one must be careful not to presume that it only affects the men and women on the "front lines" - those in uniform. PTSD does not only affect police officers. Call takers who first talk with a traumatized victim or dispatchers who send their "men and women in blue" into harm s way or hear the frantic voice of an officer (who is, perhaps, also a personal friend of theirs) calling over the radio for desperately needed help, are also affected. Depending upon the dispatcher s or call taker s perception, any of these events can be just as harrowing for them as they can be to an officer on the scene.

Those of us who work with PTSD know the importance of education for the sufferer; however, some populations are not so easy to teach. As a police officer myself on the job since 1973 and, more recently, also as a mental health professional, I know how hard it can be to educate these "strong" men and women. It may be a challenge to teach them that there are forces out there that can and do erode their defenses and their sense of invulnerability over time, causing them to need help and care for themselves. They avoid discussion about job-related stress because they believe that it should not be bothering them. They have a concern about being seen as "mentally ill" or "unfit," because this can mean the loss of their job. They oftentimes may present with an aversion to going to a psychologist or other mental health professional, as these people are the ones who commit the "truly" mentally ill to institutions. Consequently, law enforcement personnel can be the last people to seek out qualified help.

In educating, I often teach law enforcement personnel about the natural relationship of PTSD to their profession. In fact, by the very definition of and by the diagnostic criteria for PTSD, I inform them that law enforcement is a natural "set up" for PTSD. I educate them about their expected responses to trauma (i.e., "normal" reactions to "abnormal" events). From this perspective, they begin to understand. Ultimately, this paves the way for them to begin to truly heal - transitioning from victim to survivor. And, they learn to take better preventative measures to lessen the impact of future traumatizing events that are sure to occur during their careers.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) indicates that the essential features of PTSD include: "experiencing, witnessing or confrontation with an event or events that involve actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others." Moreover, the person's response involves "intense fear, helplessness, or horror" (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). When PTSD was first recognized and named as a disorder in 1980, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Third Edition (DSM-III) simply indicated that the essential feature involved exposure to a "traumatic event that is generally outside the range of usual human experience" (American Psychiatric Association, 1980). In either case, this essential feature seems to be a constant, unavoidable hallmark of the law enforcement career.

A comparison of the remaining diagnostic criteria for PTSD to the "routine" experiences of law enforcement paints an interesting picture. Other DSM-IV criteria include:


(1) Persistent re-experiencing of the traumatic event (e.g., dreams, flashbacks, or other intrusive recollections; intense psychological distress and physiological reactivity upon exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resembles an aspect of the trauma).

(2) Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma and numbing of general responsiveness (e.g., avoidance of thoughts, feelings, activities, places or people; diminished interest or participation in significant activities; feelings of detachment or estrangement from others; restricted range of affect and sense of a foreshortened future).

(3) Persistent symptoms of increased arousal (e.g., sleep disturbance, irritability or anger, difficulty concentrating, hypervigilance, exaggerated startle response).

(4) Duration of the disturbance is more than one month (or onset of symptoms is delayed beyond six months); the disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.


Beyond the obvious, such as a shooting, what events are "generally outside the range of usual human experience" that might contribute to the potential development of PTSD? Among many, consider continually being called upon to make split-second, sometimes "life or death" decisions that, in many cases, have no favorable resolution. Consider facing a weapon in the hands of a criminal who would kill you if given a chance. Moreover, consider involvement with fights, foot chases, vehicle pursuits, physical injuries and/or death of a fellow officer. Imagine having to deal with hostage situations, undercover work, dangerous drug busts or other raids or handling injury or fatal accidents. How about having to manage in-progress crime calls, shift-work, disasters (especially those man-made), the never-ending procession of people being injured, mutilated or killed and having to become "accustomed" to seeing, smelling, feeling and hearing the blood, gore, pain and suffering associated with crime scenes and victims including battered and abused children. Finally, think about what it would be like to have made an error on the job and be criticized or worse, face investigation, disciplinary action or criminal prosecution.

By virtue of their job, law enforcement personnel generally experience or are exposed on a recurrent basis to traumatic events. Consider the fact that these individuals persistently
re-experience traumatic events by virtue of responding to and handling similar events throughout the duration of their careers! They need to operate despite their personal feelings and be able to resume action immediately beyond a traumatic event because the public depends upon them to be available when needed. Over time, officers get accustomed to "numbing." They may not even realize that, after a while, many of their daily activities which seem so "routine" are actually quite stressful. Seeing the devastating effects of criminal activity, hypervigilance can become constant on and off-duty. Any noise or disturbance within hearing range of the hypervigilant is usually interpreted as a pending attack so an exaggerated startle response also appears to be a norm. Being ever vigilant, tuned in to anything out of the ordinary and being ready for anything are often the difference between whether an officer survives the job or not (Mason, 1990). This, of course, increases anxiety.

Because a law enforcement career usually lasts for at least twenty years, the duration criterion is met. Clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational. or other important areas of functioning all too often show up in an officer s life as evidenced by high divorce, alcoholism, and suicide rates. On an intimate level, officers who learn to keep things at work on a depersonalized level, are usually unable to talk about the details of brutal and horrifying experiences with anyone other than a fellow officer. Also, along with being accustomed to always being the "authority" who must take control of every situation, they may have a hard time successfully relating emotionally with their loved ones. An officer s traumatization does not grant immunity from its effects to his or her loved ones! When it comes to PTSD, individuals going into law enforcement do so with the deck stacked against them from the start! It is a natural "set up" for PTSD or other stress-related diseases and maladies.

Law enforcement is a profession where the danger level and stress potential of traumatic events remain fairly high on any given day. To best ensure survival, law enforcement personnel must be "combat ready" at all times while remaining "normal" in every other way (Williams, 1987). They learn to remain at a high level of readiness.

There is also an unrealistic stereotype that many officers must keep up like "Superman" or "Wonder Woman" (Shilling, 1993) and be immune to stress. In addition, regardless of what the officers believe, the public often holds officers to this stereotype. Officers may go out of their way to portray themselves as "cool," "calm" and always in "full control" of their emotions - an image that is reinforced repeatedly on TV and in movies (Jones, 1988).

Too often in law enforcement, personnel equate mental disorders with being "crazy" and they feel that an emotional response to trauma indicates "weakness." This myth must be erased. Law enforcement personnel must come to admit that they, too, are "normal" human beings who react in "normal" ways to exposure to abnormal events that make up their job environment. It is important to consider that this is an environment that lends itself naturally as a "set up" for PTSD. To this end, education becomes most imperative!

References

American Psychiatric Association. (1980). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders 3rd Ed.). Washington. D C Author, pp. 236-238.

American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (4th Ed.). Washington. D.C.: Author, pp. 424-429.

Jones, C.E. (1988, March). Fatal feelings. The Thin Blue Line, pp. 1-26.

Mason. P. (1990). Recovering From the War. New York: Penguin Books, pp. 231-253.

Shilling. R. (1993, Fall). On coping. The Washington Police Officer, pp. 4-6.

Williams, C. (1987). Peacetime combat: Treating and preventing delayed stress reactions in police officers. In T. Williams (Ed.), Post Traumatic Stress Disorders: A Handbook for Clinicians. Cincinnati: Disabled American Veterans, pp. 267-292.

Great information, but you aren't going to convert the statistic dork. Generally, people on the outside don't understand.

:|

Great information, but you aren't going to convert the statistic dork. Generally, people on the outside don't understand.

:|

Funny how when you show you're articles you use them as proof that you're right but when the other guy shows you articles you deny they are correct? Keep up your sheep mentality with you're head buried in the sand, it's what "people" like you do.

Great information, but you aren't going to convert the statistic dork. Generally, people on the outside don't understand.

:|

Funny how when you show you're articles you use them as proof that you're right but when the other guy shows you articles you deny they are correct? Keep up your sheep mentality with you're head buried in the sand, it's what "people" like you do.

First, it wasn't my article; but that's also the point, it was an essay --- not bare statistics.

Second, I was correct. You still just don't get it...................

:!:

Great information, but you aren't going to convert the statistic dork. Generally, people on the outside don't understand.

:|

Funny how when you show you're articles you use them as proof that you're right but when the other guy shows you articles you deny they are correct? Keep up your sheep mentality with you're head buried in the sand, it's what "people" like you do.

First, it wasn't my article; but that's also the point, it was an essay --- not bare statistics.

Second, I was correct. You still just don't get it...................

:!:

Perhaps you're the one who just, "don't get it".....I would argue that you just made my point. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Great information, but you aren't going to convert the statistic dork. Generally, people on the outside don't understand.

:|

Funny how when you show you're articles you use them as proof that you're right but when the other guy shows you articles you deny they are correct? Keep up your sheep mentality with you're head buried in the sand, it's what "people" like you do.

First, it wasn't my article; but that's also the point, it was an essay --- not bare statistics.

Second, I was correct. You still just don't get it...................

:!:

Perhaps you're the one who just, "don't get it".....I would argue that you just made my point. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

And in this, as in your other arguments, you would be wrong.

........................................ :mrgreen:

And in this, as in your other arguments, you would be wrong.
........................................[/color] :mrgreen:

Doubtful, but thanks for playing.

Hey troll:
Your arguments are invalid. You are a weakling. You couldn't get past the first interview to be a law enforcement officer. You can't deal with the fact that there a few honorable men and women who have chosen to put themselves on the line to protect perfect strangers on a daily basis.
You know you are a coward, we know you are a coward and you will have to live with the fact that you need a safe, boring, unadventurous job because that's all your craven character can handle.
Stay in the shallow end of the pool where you are safe.

[The Nitely Blog]

Yo dude... Yeah you.. the one who keeps *****in' about our benefits. You do know that VERIZON employee's went on strike today over Pension and Medical benefits don't you? FIOS Techs should get benefits and we should'nt I guess, ehh?