What will you do when the unthinkable happens?

by Mike Bradburn

What will you do when the unthinkable happens? Are you prepared? Day in and day out, we go to work and then we come home. Some days go by smooth while other days are a constant struggle just to make it home in one piece. When I refer to the unthinkable, I am referring to being injured in the line of duty. One can be injured physically or mentally from the traumatic events law enforcement officers face on a daily basis.

Injured in the line of duty, what does that mean to you? My nightmare with physical injuries began assisting another deputy that was in foot pursuit. This was in broad daylight in a parking lot. I exited my car in front of the foot chase to assist. After making contact with the suspect, I turned to chase and found myself on the ground and getting back up. I was unaware that another deputy plowed into me with her patrol car, knocking me up on the hood, onto the ground and briefly unconscious.

That was in 2002 when a peace officer could get appropriate medical treatment from workman’s compensation. I was treated for back, neck, rib injuries and eventually forced the issue to go back to the work I loved. The medical care I received was appropriate and great!

Advance to the modern workman’s compensation era in California. In 2005, I was involved in a high speed vehicle pursuit and in the end the suspect started ramming our cars, including the second car head on. I rammed the suspect’s car to stop his actions. A short struggle in the car ensued and I dragged the suspect from the car to the ground.

Almost immediately my back was hurting and the neck started hurting as the adrenalin wore off. Instead of receiving the medical attention I requested, I was forced to continue taking priority calls after processing the suspect. I was only allowed medical treatment after my shift was over. It later turned out I had an avulsion fracture in my neck and re injured my back.

What has changed since 2002 and now? In the Arnold Schwarzenegger era the adjusters call the shots. Having a lifetime medical stipulation is not worth much anymore. The adjusters deny all reasonable treatments and cause the injured extreme stress. Are you, the average law enforcement officer prepared to face this? Is your family prepared?

Many other stressors kick in during this kind of crisis. How will I take care of my family, will I be able to find work after retirement, will my retirement be approved, will the pain ever go away and many more issues face the injured. I know I became extremely depressed facing all of the above and sought help to deal with it. I pass this on because I know there are others out there facing the same crisis and need somebody to point them in the right direction.

There is often a stigma with being a peace officer and seeking mental help. Will others think I am crazy or unfit? What will happen if I do seek the help? Most departments have a peer support unit and some sort of mental health plan to assist officers in time of need. I served on our peer support unit for over a decade and knew what I needed to do. I sought out the treatment I needed to get through the ordeal and the PTSD I had developed from shootings and other critical incidents. I am better for it!

The modern recruit should be taught to be prepared for the physical and mental injuries just as they are taught to be prepared for the gun battle. Departments need to be educated and understand the truth about PTSD. More peace officers are medically retired then killed in the line of duty. Just read your retirement board’s monthly agenda and you will see the constant flow of medical retirements. The suicide rate for peace officers is tipple the rate of line of duty deaths. Shouldn’t that be telling us something? Why are we not listening? There needs to be more networking and more support for the injured. Departments need to be held accountable when the injured is discriminated upon because of their injury.

There are many websites available to read about these issues peace officers face. I know I sought out information on the internet and found the American Police Veteran website (http://www.policevets.net/). APV is a small, but growing network of disabled peace officers. I found many of my feelings and experiences were the same nation wide. In San Diego County, we worked with The Counseling Team and their group of professional counselors (http://www.thecounselingteam.com). If you are in need of help, please call them, your agencies employee assistance program or somebody that will point you in the right direction. Let yourself be better prepared. Do this for yourself, do this for your family and do this because it is the right thing to do.

Mike Bradburn is a Disabled Police Veteran. Mike recently retired IODD from San Diego County.

The Thin Blue Lie of Law Enforcement

by Sgt.George Brown, Retired/Disabled Police Officer and founder of the American Police Veterans www.policevets.com

Sadly, I had occasion to read of the death of Toledo Police Detective Keith Dressel. American Police veterans offers our sincere condolences to the detectives family and to the Toledo community. I was made aware of his death when I read the article, "Ohio provides safety net for a fallen officer's loved ones." I'd like to address this article as it creates several false impressions.
"Ohio provides safety net for a fallen officer's loved ones" reads the headline. The story makes me wonder about the others and why the media avoids the reality of career ending injuries and occupational disease to public safety workers. We need to explore the issue further to expose this thin blue lie.

What does Ohio do for cop's families when they die or become permanently disabled? The new look to this issue will reveal a dramatic story in which the hopes and dreams of the dead can live, while the hopes and dreams of those that live will die!

American's have embraced an idea that cops are taken care of when they die or become disabled. Cops buy into it as well. It is the thin blue lie of law enforcement. Families of officers killed in the line of duty (LODD) often do not receive Public Safety Officer Benefits (PSOB) from the US Dept. of Justice Administration (USDJA) payments of $295,194. The sad fact is that the PSOB benefits are promised to the disabled as well. The truth is that USDJA is set up to deny families this financial security. Dying a hero's death is not a magic pass to opening the USDJA wallet. For a Injured on Duty Disability (IODD) retiree the criteria is that you have to be so close to death that you could not personally spend a cent of the money. The USDJA also administers an educational benefit, but this is contingent upon the families having qualified for the PSOB payment. Smoke and mirrors are the sign posts to abandonment and permanent financial insecurity.

To make matters worse many states rely on the award of the PSOB to trigger payment of the state's death/disability benefit. In another truly ironic twist can be found in the mission of the group Concerns of Police Survivors. It States,

"Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc. provides resources to assist in the rebuilding of the lives of surviving families of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty as determined by Federal criteria. Furthermore, COPS provides training to law enforcement agencies on survivor victimization issues and educates the public of the need to support the law enforcement profession and its survivors."

How do Ohio's benefits to LODD families compare to IODD retirees families? My guess there is a huge discrepancy. Nationally, we see huge gaps in how the states take care of families of the dead compared to the permanently disabled. Officers suffering career ending injury or occupational disease get a small fraction of their wages, injury related medical bills go unpaid, no PSOB from the state or nation, and little to no educational assistance for their children..

This all happens in an environment where some or all income earned by the disabled officer is subtracted from retirement benefits. The financial needs seem to be greater on the permanently disabled officers families for a couple of reasons. The officers medical care and medical necessities, i.e. personal care and specialty mobility devices and transportation is often not provided by state statute. Additionally, a disabled officer is still consuming valuable family resources. Frequently, a spouse's wage earning ability is limited as they must provide care to the injured officer.

While not minimizing the loss of an officer to death or arguing that the disabled should get more than a LODD benefit, it is important to explore the disparity. We often see that permanently disabled officers are indeed lost to the family as an active participant in many of life's most important activities and roles. An officer is abruptly removed from the role of providing for the family financially and unable to participate in the physical roles of parent and spouse. The officer may indeed be as absent as his deceased colleague.

Families of permanently disabled officers are left to fend for themselves. They receive assaults on their financial security when pay is arbitrarily stopped. Family members may suffer severe emotional trauma in morning the loss of a loved one to disability. College educations, healthcare and homes and basic life necessities are endangered for one or more generations.

Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS) are there for families of deceased officers. They fundraise and their mission speaks of disabled officers. The harsh reality is that for the most part COPS concerns for the disabled is at least misleading and at the most fraudulent. It our society

This is all very disturbing to me when I read of the LODD notices. We all know that the facts, circumstances and people that fall to LODD are reflective of the disabled law enforcement community. Most disabled cops are young men and women with families, they have not entered their prime earning years in an underpaid service profession. They do not have resources to supplement their retirements. They are usually cash poor with heavy mortgages. Disabled officers most often have student loans looming large as we have such a professionalized occupation. These loans are not forgiven making paying them back a heavy burden.The burden of protecting their pensions is often shifted from labor organizations to the officer and family.

When an officer dies, society compensates the family and tells them that mom or dad was a hero. Their service valuable to the state and nation. They'll mourn and move on comforted by the community. Memories of an heroic life and financial security fill some of the voids.

The family of an injured officer is discarded and left to suffer in a neglectful and abusive process. They are left to their own devices. Mom or dad suddenly becomes a burden on the community. The state erases any heroics, while tarnishing a career, because it ended in career ending life long disability. Community cut off and turn a deaf ear to the disabled as they secure their pocketbooks. Agencies and the police brotherhood push the disabled off a truly thin blue line.

It is sad to see young officers in their early twenties and thirties looking to a lifetime of poverty for themselves and their families simply because they served. I am reminded how many police families fail. That is even more true of disabled police families. The stress of police disability makes the normal police stress pale in comparison. Police stress is well documented to lead to divorce, substance abuse and suicide. How much more acute is the problem for disabled cop's families? No one seems to care enough to research the problem or offer solutions. As the founder of American Police Veteran's, I can tell you that the stress is destroying disabled officers and their families . To make matters worse, there are no local support structures to help these victims. PTSD is a frequent companion to career ending injuries. Sadly, this PTSD arises as a result of the injury, rather than because of the injury.

Injured officers may live or die. The path to that turning point on who lives or dies is ominously similar. Some die and they are taken away from their families, while others are injured and taken away from their families. Often the only difference between being a hero or worthless is the timing or quality of the medical care.

How these families are treated so differently is a national disgrace. Two different outcomes so closely aligned. It is sad that death is embraced and mourned, while life is discarded and lost.

That these families are treated so differently is a national disgrace.

Source of original article may be found at

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070223/NEWS24/702230389

About the author

Sgt.George Brown, Is a Retired/Disabled Police Officer of the Plainville Massachusetts Police Department and founder of the American Police Veterans an online community of retired and disabled law enforcement officers. www.policevets.com.

Mission Statement

It is the mission of the American Police Veterans to create a community that supports retired and disabled law enforcement officers through peer support, advocacy and fellowship. Policevets working with the community to build social, economic and health support systems for America's aging, infirm and disabled law enforcement officers. American Police Veterans is governed by the principle that no policevet should live in isolation and their many personal and family sacrifices shall not be forgotten.

Never alone - Together as One!

Bridges of Hope for Families

I had the good fortune to discover Bridges of Hope for Families.

Bridges of Hope for Families, Inc. is offering support for the families of law enforcement officers. The site Bridges of Hope is interesting. When law enforcement officers suffer disabiling injuries and occupational illness, the families suffer greatly. It is refreshing to see that founders Trilby and Amanda are creating a community supporting families facing adversity.

I'd encourage American Police Veterans to share this and similar sites with their spouses.

Semper Fi - The idea is only as good as the team.

In all, we are not a very kind people to one another and that will eventually become our demise.

I couldn't of found a more profound statement! No one ever thinks it will be them... In our profession there's more than on the job injuries against us; the life expectancy is one of the worst! So if an Officer lives to retire the years are statistically numbered. The other focal point is that a great number of Officers change their profession due to a number of different reasons.

What does this leave, well that's a rhetorical question; it leaves exactly what federal, state and local governments want - young men and women who think they're invincible and aren't worried about retirement or injury. Even if they read this note they'd shrug it off and go with the blind trust and empty promises... Semper Fi the idea is only as good as the team.

Author: RUSS

Visit Russ' blog at http://injuredinthelineofduty.blogspot.com/

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America's disabled police veterans have largely been left at the curb. Cops helping cops give disabled cops a push with a show of unified support. Wear the cops helping cops logo and show care.

Join the American Police Veterans

Have you reached the end of a colorful police career? Have you been disabled in the line of duty from injury or occupational illness? Have the exit signs in the station started to look like "retirement this way out?"

American Police Veterans invites you to join them building an organization promoting fraternity, peer advocacy and support.

Register Today!

American Police Veterans has a new look

American Police Veterans has a new look.

The new Policevet's USA logo represents the themes American and Beyond the Shield into an exciting new image incorporating the police veteran's shield into the fabric of America's history and experience.

America's Policevets have served and protected every corner of the United States. They share a unique experience as America's first line of defense. Law enforcement officers are among the few ever asked to ride into battle alone. Throughout their careers the have taken on all enemies and combatants as they came. Many have suffered life altering career ending injuries and occupational illness that have ended their service

The USA logo also seeks to provide a visual link to the Policevet's motto, "Never alone together as one." The two stars representing the duty and service provided to the communities by retired and disabled law enforcement officers.

The Policevet's USA logo is available on gifts and apprael in the Policevet's xCOPshop at Cafepress.

American Police Veterans has a Patch design.

American Police Veterans has a Patch design. The new Policevet's USA logo represents the themes American and Beyond the Shield into an exciting new image incorporating the police veteran's shield into the fabric of America's history and experience.

The Policevet's USA patch design is available on gifts and apprael in the Policevet's xCOPshop at Cafepress.

A shoulder patch will be available at a future date.