All In A Days Work ?

[No justice in Arizona]

I would like to know a couple things.

First. How do you all get over the horrible things that you deal with in your job? Like the accidents where someone dies and or you try and save the person. How do you go on with out it playing on your minds?

Second. Tell us the worst case senerior that each of you have dealt with. It does not have to be a book or a long story, but whats the worst call any or all of you have been on?

I think it would be interesting to hear especially since this is all over and even in other countries, I'd like to hear some of these. That way we can get a better idea of your alls jobs instead of just thinking you sit in a car and drive around all day and nite just giving out tickets.....

Thank you, you all for the job that you do...

[mavriktuo]

You think "better you than me" as long as I have done everything in my power,my conciense(sp) is clear.
worst. Pan-Am flight 759 ,July 1982 crashed into a residential neighborhood killing all on board and several on ground.At the time it was the worst aviation disaster in U.S. history.about 200 dead ,wont go into graphic detail,wasn't pretty.

[arson571]

I volunteer on our State's Critical Incident Stress Management Team. I have found that attending debriefings has been invaluable to many people. The "Old Schoolers" believe that critical incident stress is just simply part of the job. But the studies involving cumulative stress on emergency workers is sound and explains how "burn out" begins to take its toll.

My most significant critical incident involved the first time I did CPR on an infant who had died of SIDS. Not understanding the signs and symptoms of stress reactions led me to experience an incredibly rocky 6 months in my marriage following the incident. In fact, even a year later when my first son was born, I experienced some transference and emotional disturbances related to the previous incident. This was part of the job but, some of it could have been minimized had I had access to some resources.

Standard Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) are often inadequate in dealing with such things and are more designed for Family Problems and Substance Abuse problems. Some police departments have psychologists on staff but this really only happens in larger departments because of the costs.

The moral of the story is: Don't try to tough it out. It only leads to repressing the situation and saving it for when it is triggered by a subsequent similar incident. Find your resources for your mental health support before you have a problem and commit to contacting those resources even when you feel no disturbances in your life. Attend debriefings when you are involved in an incident. If you don't need the support, perhaps one of your co-workers needs yours. And don't believe the myths about having to be strong enough for the job. Too many emergency responders save asking for help for their "worst nightmare" call not realizing that other calls can affect them more than they imagine. Perhaps we can reduce the instances of burnout and divorce in our industry and keep our people the highly functioning folks they really are.

[No justice in Arizona]

Wow,
yes, I'm sure what you all see out there has got to, just has to play on your minds.
Now the aviation story, boy I can not even begin to emagine. I would think that would have to be the worst to see it happen and then have to go help these people. And regarding the story about the child, now thats right up there as well. Like I think I said already, I don't know how you all do it seeing the horrible things you have to see.
I can't emagine.
My late husband was a truck driver (and he's helped officers out on the road alot of times, and he was truly the best truck driver there is and for safety, oh boy) anyway he used to come home and tell me about the different accidents that he had seen or about the drunks running off the road and all the other "stuff" that goes along with the job out there. But I remember one horrible accident he witnessed and I know even tho it had happened about 4-5 years ago, I know it bothered him even until he went to his grave. When he came home and told me about it all he kept saying is, "why did that truck hit those kids? I wish he would have hit me, because I knew I had a chance and those kid did not". (I guess the truck was driving very fast and the roads were wet and he was drunk (ok course) and my husband said that it all happened so fast but the truck went off the road into the middle of the freeway and he said the truck was headed straight towards him and he was bracing himself for the impact) but all of a sudden the truck (it was a regular truck not a semi) struck the 4 teenagers (2 girls and 2 boys) and they were in a older mustang and he knew before he got out of his truck that he was walking up to a death seen. (By this time in the story I'm balling and balling). And he went on to say that the one girl was driving and she was not speeding or doing anything wrong he was actually very surprised but she was in one lane and he was in the other and she was driving besides him for alot of miles when this happened. It just breaks my heart.
But it bothered him for several months if not close to a year. He just kept saying also when ever that story came up, he was waiting to be called into court to be a witness and he was worried that he would not know what to say to the parents if they were there, but he was never called. But our thoughts and prayers were with the parents many many nites.

I still get chocked up even now just thinking about the story.
So, I don't know even why I asked that question, I guess sometimes people forget the bad that your job intails and the parents or spouses or even the children you have to go to and tell them that there loved one is not coming back.

I guess just a reminder that your job is not just sitting in a car driving around handing out pieces of paper, or that your job is a cake walk, because you never know whats going to happen next and you have to be prepared for the worst, I guess. That's got to be very hard and very stressful.

Thanks for all u do !

Lets hear about more stories, guys (gals too!)

[Actiondefence]

I think we don't learn to deal with them. We learn to get help when its needed let time help us to deal with them.

Worst case experience? Sadly, too many to mention I don't think of them as if in competition to be my worst. Try dealing with a scene where a 4 year old boy has been hit by a car and killed and the family watched it happen yet it was an accident. Try giving a death message or two. Try being so scared of some monster man that you feel unable to move, then forcing yourself to go and fight them. Try doing all that in one day.
Or burying three friends who are collegues inside 6 weeks.
Or going with another officer to a sudden death where a man has been found after hanging himself, then find out the man is the other officer's father in law.


How do you think we deal with it?

[No justice in Arizona]

I'm sorry. My question/(s) were not to bring back any bad feelings, or just to have anyone remember that one or several calls that were bad. I just thought it would be a good idea to ask you all that and to hear what you all go thru on a daily basis.

I'm very sorry about your loses. It just breaks my heart to "kinda know" what you all go thru and yet people out there (and yes I'm guilty also, but thats been just recent because of the creeps that have come into my life) who hate the cops or can't stand the cops and they are the first people they call when they are in trouble. Or they have no respect for the cops.

And again, I know there are good and bad people in EVERY [B]occupation.

It's sad that the other officers father in law came to such a horrible end. And I guess no one knew how he felt? Obviously there were problems in his life and he had to given some clues but no one heard them?

See that's where I come in.

I'm asking the police for there help and it's always turned around on me.
I don't want a pitty party, I just want the police to understand that I'm (I feel) being targeted just to be defrauded. They don't get it, or understand. I'm a nice person and I try not to think bad about people. or that anyone's out to get me. But I cannot understand why after living in the same home for 17 years all of a sudden I have these people (guys) come into my life, act as thou they want to be my boyfriend, or friend and then they
end up steeling from me,borrow money from me, or maybe to get personal information, Or cause me problems. I just don't understand.

But, it always get turned around on me.