Can't talk about it...

[RA Miller]

It's been three years since the shooting and now, magically, I can talk about it.

Don't need to anymore.

Because of discovery laws, we're cautioned not to talk about high liability issues until either the suit has been resolved or it's too late to file... but the high liability stuff is also the stuff, sometimes with the most emotional impact. Sometimes the stuff you'd really like to talk about with friends... and you can't.

Well, there's another one. Not a shooting this time.

Three years.

Rory

[Webmaster]

Hopefully this will clear itself up a whole lot sooner and you will be able to start healing.

[TonyU]

My fewelings exactly.
While I don't proffess to say I know how you're feeling, some of us here do understand.
Don't be afraid to call if you need an ear. PM me for the number.

[dao]

Likewise, I don't know what you are going through exactly but, if you ever need someone to listen to you I'm here. And I also respect that there are things that you can't talk about even if you'd like to. Take care.

[DragonMind]

Visit the rabbit.

[Erik]

Gosh, Rory, I don't know what you're getting at specifically, but I'd like to send you some encouragement, support, and a reminder to keep your chin up.

Curious to read this today. I bumped into some policemen in Mountain View last night and just chatted with them a bit. Quite a few had responded to something in my fiancee's neighborhood and had sorted it out as I had left her house.

I greeted them and wound up chatting a little. I left feeling really grateful that we have such people taking care of us around here.

Spoke with my cousins and sister in Portland (your town) and they said great things about your department. One cousin is a social worker, my sister is a bum, both have contact with your department (in different contexts) and both had only good things to say about you guys.

So I'd like to remind you that what you do is appreciated, even if you don't get told this every week.

So chin up. You matter. Even if you cannot talk about it.

[riku]

As others said previously. I'm sure that I don't have similar experiences, but if there's something that I can do...

Take care,

Riku Ylönen

[Abbax8]

I'll say some prayers.

Peace

Dennis

[Jeff C.]

Rory, you just said alot without saying anything. That takes great skill.

Good luck, brother.

Jeff Cook
Wabujitsu

[RA Miller]

Thanks, everybody.

This isn't really about the incident or how I'm feeling. It's about a level of insanity that we live with. It's popping up on DAO's thread about community involvement and the Corrections denied armor thread.

Sometimes we focus too much on the ugly things, talk about the shattered lives and bodies and the moments when things get really ugly or scary... but you know what? Those aren't that stressful because we can DO something. We help someone in crisis almost evry day. Honestly, that's the good part of the job.

Yet we live in a society and for the most part work for agencies that are more afraid of getting sued than of an officer getting stabbed.

They want the police to do their jobs without anyone's feelings getting hurt. I had a guy in custody years ago (my first socio path) who, post conviction, talked freely about his crimes. He felt he had done the right thing... but his family refused to ever believe that he had kidnapped, raped and killed or tried to kill seven women. They would never cooperate with the police or DA and each of their fake alibis for him had to be shot down... the "evil police" had framed their "precious boy". Any chance of enforcement doing a good job at community policing when the community would rather protect a serial rapist/killer than be seen to cooperate with police?

We were security on a riot a few months back (I can talk about this one because nothing happened). We are the best trained, equipped and most experienced less-lethal team in the region. We were ordered not to carry our less-lethal weapons because they looked "too intimidating". For fear of appearances, an administrator pushed us to a situation where if it had gone bad, we would have no option but lethal force... but we would look less scary if a news crew happened by. If it had gone bad, it would have gone very, very bad and we would not be able to talk about it for three or more years.

It doesn't even have to be a real law suit. I can nearly guarantee that any idea, no matter how good, can be shot down forever if one person in an administartive meeting says, "Couldn't we be sued if..."

Want to hear crap? I was asked recently if CERT was in compliance with OSHA guidelines. Did you know that there are OSHA safety guidelines for being shot at? I still haven't seen them and I'm hoping it's an urban myth.

Every so often, someone wonders why the divorce and suicide and alcoholism rate in this business is so high... I don't think it's the job so much as the interference with the job.

Rory

PS So much for the saying a lot with a little, huh Jeff?

[Jay Bell]

I can't begin to comprehend what you guys deal with every day. Saturday night I met a husband and wife pair who are both Phoenix LEO. Very candidly, she spoke about her one "kill in the line of duty" that took place while her partner and the assailant where fighting for her partner's gun. I was floored at how her and her husband dealt with the whole thing...or even having the ability to look back and chuckle at the situation.

You guys are champs...period.

[Cliff Hargrave]

Yet we live in a society and for the most part work for agencies that are more afraid of getting sued than of an officer getting stabbed.



ain't it the truth!

Here is an endless circle for everyone: Get a group of motivated young officers that like their jobs. They go out and lock people up.

The more contact you have with the public, the more chance you have of pissing someone off. Someone/group/organization/activist complains to the city council, mayor, city manager, etc...Police Chief gets bitched at, Chief passes down the line (you know it rolls down hill).

Now you have pissed off Officers because they are just trying to do the right thing and they catch grief over it. So now the officers slow down their work. Less work = less chance of getting complained on.

Now the brass is pissed because "productivity" is down (secret code for "Gee our municipal court fine collections sure are down") and nuisance crime reports are up. Brass puts pressure on officers to do more! Thus the never ending circle continues.

[Jeff C.]

PS So much for the saying a lot with a little, huh Jeff?

Hey, if it helped get you to talk, my comment was worth every letter! ;)

Another problem is when the administrator makes the call that he made (and that you described), and nothing bad happens, then in all administrator's minds that mindset is justified. So it perpetrates their dysfunctional decision-making process. And when something bad finally does happen, they scratch their heads and truly don't understand why it went bad, and/or desperately search for a scapegoat.

Jeff Cook
Wabujitsu