Surratt disability hearing goes into the night
Former JPD Sgt. Kelly Surratt and his wife testify for nearly four hours Tuesday.
June 17, 2008 - 6:19PM
BY MARIA NAGLE
Journal-Courier
Former Jacksonville Police Sgt. Kelly Surratt and his wife, Jeannie, spent four hours Tuesday testifying that a 1999 shooting incident involving the officer led him to abuse alcohol and depression.
Mr. Surratt resigned from the police force in November amidst allegations he was twice under the influence of alcohol on duty. He is requesting disability pay based on his claim that he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder arising from his job as a police officer.
Based on the evidence presented at the disability hearing, the five members Jacksonville Police Pension Board will decide whether to grant or deny Mr. Surratt’s request for disability pay.
Prior to recessing at 5:20 p.m. for a dinner break, the Surratts testified that following the shooting incident, Mr. Surratt turned to alcohol to help him sleep, because prescription medication was not helping him do so. The couple claimed that, after the shooting, Mr. Surratt began experiencing and continues to have nightmares and panic attacks.
go here for more
http://www.myjournalcourier.com/news/police_18677___article.html/surratt_disability.html
Showing posts with label policemen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label policemen. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Friday, May 9, 2008
Southington Police Officer Rescues Four From Burning Building
Southington Police Officer Rescues Four From Burning Building
By KEN BYRON The Hartford Courant
3:47 PM EDT, May 9, 2008
SOUTHINGTON - A police officer rescued four people from their burning apartment building early today after he saw the house on fire.
The officer called for the fire department after seeing the flames and then went into the house at 310 West St. He got the four people who were home out before the flames spread and before anyone got hurt. The fire was still being investigated on Friday afternoon.
Fire Chief Richard McDonough said it appear to be suspicious.
Police spokesman Sgt. Lowell DePalma said the officer who saw the fire was on routine patrol.
"He saw a light on the house that didn't belong there so he turned around and went back," DePalma said about the officer's actions. "And when he got there he found the house was on fire."
DePalma said one person in the house was wearing ear plugs and another had taken a sleeping pill to help her fall asleep.
"They never would have heard anything," DePalma said. "Talk about dodging a bullet, this was very lucky on everyone's part." McDonough said the fire did little damage to the house and that the residents were able to return home later in the day.
http://www.courant.com/news/custom/topnews/hcu-soufirerescue-0509,0,2633275.story
By KEN BYRON The Hartford Courant
3:47 PM EDT, May 9, 2008
SOUTHINGTON - A police officer rescued four people from their burning apartment building early today after he saw the house on fire.
The officer called for the fire department after seeing the flames and then went into the house at 310 West St. He got the four people who were home out before the flames spread and before anyone got hurt. The fire was still being investigated on Friday afternoon.
Fire Chief Richard McDonough said it appear to be suspicious.
Police spokesman Sgt. Lowell DePalma said the officer who saw the fire was on routine patrol.
"He saw a light on the house that didn't belong there so he turned around and went back," DePalma said about the officer's actions. "And when he got there he found the house was on fire."
DePalma said one person in the house was wearing ear plugs and another had taken a sleeping pill to help her fall asleep.
"They never would have heard anything," DePalma said. "Talk about dodging a bullet, this was very lucky on everyone's part." McDonough said the fire did little damage to the house and that the residents were able to return home later in the day.
http://www.courant.com/news/custom/topnews/hcu-soufirerescue-0509,0,2633275.story
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Cops back from the war
10-8: Life on the Line
with Charles Remsberg
Exclusive: Cops back from the war: What problems do they pose?
By Chuck Remsberg, Senior PoliceOne Contributor
Part 1 of a 3-part series
Thousands of American law enforcement officers have been called to military service in Iraq and Afghanistan, and authorities are increasingly focusing attention on how well some of those can reintegrate into domestic policing once they return home.
Isolated instances of serious problems have made headlines, raising concerns about potentially persistent negative effects of combat experience.
• In Texas, an officer recently back from reservist deployment to Iraq, opened fire on a suspect who was running through a crowded shopping center. The rounds narrowly missed the officer’s partner and one lodged in a van occupied by two children. “Everyone believes he should not have fired,” the officer’s attorney told USA Today. “His assessment of the threat level was wrong. He was assessing as if he was back in the military, not [as] a police officer.”
• In Georgia, an officer who’d served in Iraq with the National Guard was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter. He was part of a misdirected drug raid in which an elderly woman was killed. His lawyer says he was undergoing treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition afflicting a significant percentage of returning vets.
• In Nevada, a trooper who’d been in Iraq as an Army Guardsman, pleaded guilty to felony reckless driving and was sentenced to 2 to 12 years. According to the New York Times, he was driving 118 mph when he slammed into another car, killing four people and critically injuring another.
No one claims that all—or even a majority—of post-deployment veterans are menaces to society once they pin a badge back on and resume patrol duties. But by the same token, says Dr. Stephen Curran, a Maryland psychologist who counsels officers, “You can’t just put people back in [law enforcement] jobs, give them their guns and expect that things are going to be fine. Getting back into the flow of things is a challenge.”
Most manage the transition successfully. For others, the struggle can be more problematic.
To explore the issues involved in LEOs returning from combat zones, Dr. Beverly Anderson, clinical director and administrator of the Washington (D.C.) Metropolitan Police Employee Assistance Program, convened a unique, invitation-only symposium at the department’s training academy. More than 200 police and mental health professionals representing 73 federal, state, county and city agencies in seven states attended to hear a panel of experts explain the harsh realities of returning to life stateside. PoliceOne was the only communications agency invited.
Drawing on the panel’s presentations, Part 1 of this exclusive series examines the roots of post-deployment adjustment problems. Part 2 will explore the challenges these present to officers, their families and their departments when they come home. In part 3, we’ll look at measures knowledgeable observers believe are necessary to assure a successful transition back to the streets.
click post title for the rest
After 4 days of training to become a Chaplain, one of the biggest things that was made quite clear is the fact police officers are just like the rest of the humans on the planet. They get angry, scared, sad and have the same emotions we all do. What we think sets them apart is that they take most of it and "stuff it inside their brains" instead of dealing with it. They do that because they think they are supposed to always be in control or situations, their actions and their emotions. To be honest, most of us think they are supposed to be a cut above the rest of us. In many ways, they are but they are still human. These men and women are trained to take someone down and many times that will end up killing someone in the line of duty.
Soldiers are not trained to stop someone or take them down. They are trained to kill. What they are not trained to do is to cope with what comes after they do. They are not trained to deal with the carnage, women killed or kids killed. They are not trained to see their friends killed either. You cannot train them for that but what you can do is help them cope with it after.
There is more we'll get into as the weeks go on and I attempt to share what I've learned this week. The test is tomorrow and I pray that I've learned enough to pass. I'm not very good with testing. Check back tomorrow night and I'll let you know if I passed the test. If I do, on Saturday there is a big post in the works to share more of what I've been made more aware of. Working with PTSD veterans all these years gave me some insight to what regular people go through but nothing came close to what I've learned this week.
with Charles Remsberg
Exclusive: Cops back from the war: What problems do they pose?
By Chuck Remsberg, Senior PoliceOne Contributor
Part 1 of a 3-part series
Thousands of American law enforcement officers have been called to military service in Iraq and Afghanistan, and authorities are increasingly focusing attention on how well some of those can reintegrate into domestic policing once they return home.
Isolated instances of serious problems have made headlines, raising concerns about potentially persistent negative effects of combat experience.
• In Texas, an officer recently back from reservist deployment to Iraq, opened fire on a suspect who was running through a crowded shopping center. The rounds narrowly missed the officer’s partner and one lodged in a van occupied by two children. “Everyone believes he should not have fired,” the officer’s attorney told USA Today. “His assessment of the threat level was wrong. He was assessing as if he was back in the military, not [as] a police officer.”
• In Georgia, an officer who’d served in Iraq with the National Guard was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter. He was part of a misdirected drug raid in which an elderly woman was killed. His lawyer says he was undergoing treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition afflicting a significant percentage of returning vets.
• In Nevada, a trooper who’d been in Iraq as an Army Guardsman, pleaded guilty to felony reckless driving and was sentenced to 2 to 12 years. According to the New York Times, he was driving 118 mph when he slammed into another car, killing four people and critically injuring another.
No one claims that all—or even a majority—of post-deployment veterans are menaces to society once they pin a badge back on and resume patrol duties. But by the same token, says Dr. Stephen Curran, a Maryland psychologist who counsels officers, “You can’t just put people back in [law enforcement] jobs, give them their guns and expect that things are going to be fine. Getting back into the flow of things is a challenge.”
Most manage the transition successfully. For others, the struggle can be more problematic.
To explore the issues involved in LEOs returning from combat zones, Dr. Beverly Anderson, clinical director and administrator of the Washington (D.C.) Metropolitan Police Employee Assistance Program, convened a unique, invitation-only symposium at the department’s training academy. More than 200 police and mental health professionals representing 73 federal, state, county and city agencies in seven states attended to hear a panel of experts explain the harsh realities of returning to life stateside. PoliceOne was the only communications agency invited.
Drawing on the panel’s presentations, Part 1 of this exclusive series examines the roots of post-deployment adjustment problems. Part 2 will explore the challenges these present to officers, their families and their departments when they come home. In part 3, we’ll look at measures knowledgeable observers believe are necessary to assure a successful transition back to the streets.
click post title for the rest
After 4 days of training to become a Chaplain, one of the biggest things that was made quite clear is the fact police officers are just like the rest of the humans on the planet. They get angry, scared, sad and have the same emotions we all do. What we think sets them apart is that they take most of it and "stuff it inside their brains" instead of dealing with it. They do that because they think they are supposed to always be in control or situations, their actions and their emotions. To be honest, most of us think they are supposed to be a cut above the rest of us. In many ways, they are but they are still human. These men and women are trained to take someone down and many times that will end up killing someone in the line of duty.
Soldiers are not trained to stop someone or take them down. They are trained to kill. What they are not trained to do is to cope with what comes after they do. They are not trained to deal with the carnage, women killed or kids killed. They are not trained to see their friends killed either. You cannot train them for that but what you can do is help them cope with it after.
There is more we'll get into as the weeks go on and I attempt to share what I've learned this week. The test is tomorrow and I pray that I've learned enough to pass. I'm not very good with testing. Check back tomorrow night and I'll let you know if I passed the test. If I do, on Saturday there is a big post in the works to share more of what I've been made more aware of. Working with PTSD veterans all these years gave me some insight to what regular people go through but nothing came close to what I've learned this week.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Excessive forces cases often full of ambiguity
Excessive forces cases often full of ambiguity
Personal problems sometimes collide with pressures of job
By J.J. Stambaugh (Contact)
Monday, December 3, 2007
Excessive force cases aren't usually the result of bad cops looking for people to abuse, officials say.
Most of the time, they are the result of complex circumstances that may include frightening encounters with suspects and officers who are wrestling with serious personal problems that are in turn sometimes the product of job-related
In late 2004, for instance, then-Knoxville Police Department officer Harry McGuffee was - by his own account - a disaster waiting to happen.
A former U.S. Marine Corps drill sergeant from Mississippi, McGuffee joined KPD in 1999 and quickly built a solid record of accomplishments, working closely with federal authorities intent on combating inner-city violence and taking part in a number of high-profile arrests.
But things started to go awry when his father was murdered by two black suspects in July 2004 in Florence, Miss. He and his wife also were dealing with marital problems, and as time crept by, his performance began to deteriorate.
click post title for the rest
First let me say right now that if they are under stress, they should be taken off the street and given whatever they need to recover so they can go back to work and not "spaz out" on others. I really suggest you read the rest of this article.
With that out of the way, I want to remind you that while there is a mountain of evidence of PTSD in police, firemen, as well as other emergency responders, we still question the same evidence in combat troops. Why? When they are sent into combat, their traumas are not isolated, or once in a while. They are constant.
I want to stop reading blogs with a set agenda to dismiss all evidence of this wound. They are humiliating themselves by attacking our troops instead of helping them. When they dismiss evidence, studies and reports, they are in fact attacking the people we count on most in this country. Our military men and women, our police, fire fighters, emergency responders, all are necessary to our survival. Because of this we need to take care of them when their minds and bodies pay the price of service to us. PTSD can strike in a traumatic event, yet these people go through them over and over again. Treat them early and treat them all with all they need.kc
Personal problems sometimes collide with pressures of job
By J.J. Stambaugh (Contact)
Monday, December 3, 2007
Excessive force cases aren't usually the result of bad cops looking for people to abuse, officials say.
Most of the time, they are the result of complex circumstances that may include frightening encounters with suspects and officers who are wrestling with serious personal problems that are in turn sometimes the product of job-related
In late 2004, for instance, then-Knoxville Police Department officer Harry McGuffee was - by his own account - a disaster waiting to happen.
A former U.S. Marine Corps drill sergeant from Mississippi, McGuffee joined KPD in 1999 and quickly built a solid record of accomplishments, working closely with federal authorities intent on combating inner-city violence and taking part in a number of high-profile arrests.
But things started to go awry when his father was murdered by two black suspects in July 2004 in Florence, Miss. He and his wife also were dealing with marital problems, and as time crept by, his performance began to deteriorate.
click post title for the rest
First let me say right now that if they are under stress, they should be taken off the street and given whatever they need to recover so they can go back to work and not "spaz out" on others. I really suggest you read the rest of this article.
With that out of the way, I want to remind you that while there is a mountain of evidence of PTSD in police, firemen, as well as other emergency responders, we still question the same evidence in combat troops. Why? When they are sent into combat, their traumas are not isolated, or once in a while. They are constant.
I want to stop reading blogs with a set agenda to dismiss all evidence of this wound. They are humiliating themselves by attacking our troops instead of helping them. When they dismiss evidence, studies and reports, they are in fact attacking the people we count on most in this country. Our military men and women, our police, fire fighters, emergency responders, all are necessary to our survival. Because of this we need to take care of them when their minds and bodies pay the price of service to us. PTSD can strike in a traumatic event, yet these people go through them over and over again. Treat them early and treat them all with all they need.kc
Friday, November 16, 2007
Help sought for police after combat
Help sought for police after combat
By Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Police officers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are returning to duty with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder that law enforcement and mental health authorities fear could put their judgment and public safety at risk.
The USA's largest organization of police chiefs is developing a national strategy to assist returning officers, citing worries that prolonged exposure to combat could make it harder for police to follow strict regulations on the use of lethal force in civilian life.
"This is about trying to save careers," says Jim McMahon, chief of staff for the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP).
CONCERNS RAISED: Reservists back in police jobs raise concerns
A survey last month of 103 psychologists across the USA who treat public safety officers found 16% were counseling those who had returned from combat zones, says Stephen Curran, a Maryland psychologist who conducted the survey and counsels officers.
click post title for the rest
By Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Police officers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are returning to duty with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder that law enforcement and mental health authorities fear could put their judgment and public safety at risk.
The USA's largest organization of police chiefs is developing a national strategy to assist returning officers, citing worries that prolonged exposure to combat could make it harder for police to follow strict regulations on the use of lethal force in civilian life.
"This is about trying to save careers," says Jim McMahon, chief of staff for the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP).
CONCERNS RAISED: Reservists back in police jobs raise concerns
A survey last month of 103 psychologists across the USA who treat public safety officers found 16% were counseling those who had returned from combat zones, says Stephen Curran, a Maryland psychologist who conducted the survey and counsels officers.
click post title for the rest
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