Police and other emergency response persons - conference - PTSD continuing from last post

Another ex policeman who worked 30 years in homicide had a caucasian father and aboriginal mother, whose father consistently insulted. After all those years on the police force, he ended up homeless, living on the street, suffering from PTSD. He was addicted with alcoholism. He had a “parasite on my soul”. He ended up in jail. He stated that he sat in jail and sat with God, PTSD and addiction, “chest ripped open” to become the man he was meant to be. He had time to reflect. He began looking for the humanity he had lost. He did his time. He did his 12 steps with AA and began volunteering. He said that when he was homeless, he saw ex military men and ex emergency personnel also homeless. He said that homeless men deserve help like everyone else. Today he no longer lives homeless. He has food and he has heat. He is also an elder. Another ex policeman went on stage with his service dog. He stated that 33% of the police force out West suffers from PTSD, 1/3 of the force. There was a Registered Nurse from Muskoka who talked about mental health days at school where discussion occur regarding mental health. She remarked about parents not allowing their children to attend, citing that there are no mental issues in their homes. Two more ex police went on stage and spoke of having to shoot men on duty. They spoke of suffering from moral injury. One said that when he joined the police force, he did not go to work to kill people. “I never realized how heavy this uniform was until I took it off.” They were considered heroes and didn’t like being labelled as such. It is difficult living with a decision to kill - a moral injury. It took six years for one to be exonerated. He stated that as a Roman Catholic, killing a person is a mortal sin and he struggled with that. The man who had killed had been unarmed though he believed he was armed. It was during a robbery. After that, he was afraid of making decisions at home. He could not even decide on a menu. It was easier to make decisions at work because of the structure and rules. At home, it is different. It was when the mother of the man whom he had killed forgave him, which he will never forget, that helped with his healing. There is a constant struggle for positive self care. Another spoke of a responding officer, attending to an officer who had been stabbed and was dying. He was never helped because he had been from another area. “You don’t want to go for counselling. You will be a wimp.” A man from the back of the room, who is not an emergency responder but does have a career outside the norm, spoke out that it is difficult to be without a soul. It was an interesting conference where there was much suffering. However, there was also a lot of hope. They are on the right path. They have all received help and belong to a support system. A policewoman spoke of arranging a group to provide care packages for a local police station. I thought that was a wonderful gesture. The conference was not held in Toronto. I often hear complaints about the police on the news in Toronto. There are groups who protest against them, and they sometimes lack a strong support system that they need. Too many forget that police are men and women who mostly try to do a job of serving the public and deal with situations which in a second can change not only the lives of others but their own. They are not robots who do not feel pain and sorrow. If you are an emergency response person and you have had to face a difficult situation, get the help you may need. If you appreciate what an officer has done for you, why not organize a small token of appreciation. Even a thank you goes a long way. What do you think? Please feel free to express yourself. There is a “Camp F.A.C.E.S” A camp for Families and Children of Emergency services. To learn more check out www.campfaces.ca. Thank you for reading my blogs. Have a peaceful weekend.