Idaho Police Academy Class Slogan: ''Go Out And Cause PTSD''

[DeSwiss]

Police academy class slogan: Cause PTSD

Associated Press
1 hour, 13 minutes ago

BOISE, Idaho - A state police academy leader has disavowed the slogan of the most recent graduating class urging one another to "go out and cause" post-traumatic stress disorder. Each class at the Idaho Police Officer Standards and Training Academy is allowed to choose a slogan that is printed on its graduation programs, and the class of 43 graduates came up with "Don't suffer from PTSD, go out and cause it."

According to the Veterans Association, tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers suffer from PTSD, which causes nightmares, flashbacks and physical symptoms that make sufferers feel as if they are reliving trauma, even many years later. Crime, accidents and other trauma can cause it in civilians.

Ada County Sheriff Gary Raney, who attended the Dec. 14 graduation, pointed out the slogan to the academy's director, Jeff Black, minutes before the ceremony began, Raney said. A photograph of the program was e-mailed anonymously to news outlets throughout the state.

"That's not something we encourage or condone," Black said. "It shouldn't have been there. It was inappropriate." Black said the class president was ex-military, and that the slogan "slipped in." He declined to identify the graduate. Black said future slogans would be vetted by academy leaders.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071226/ap_on_re_us/police_academy_slogan">Link

- I suppose some could see this new slogan as "catchy." But I'm still partial to "Protect and Serve." But then I'm old fashioned I guess. What I'm really surprised about is that Tasers weren't used on anyone during the ceremony. Slackers....

[hobbit709]

1. Wanta bet that the clowns that came up with this

have never had something happen in their lives that would cause PTSD?

[DeSwiss]

6. According to the article....

"Black said the class president was ex-military, and that the slogan "slipped in."

Blackwater??? :shrug:

[Asgaya Dihi]

20. I wouldn't count on that

In this case it might be true but in general people can be hardened by what they themselves have been through. Later they often end up regretting it but there's a window somewhere between when it happened to them and when they finally learn to deal with it where they can be pretty cold about things.

In a way that was me, some 25-30 years or so ago. Was a victim of the juvenile justice system and did four and a half years including two rounds of over 30 days in isolation before it was all done, started with nothing more than my skipping school to avoid a gang situation. So of course they sent me to live with them for a few years. By the time it was done I was hard as shit and didn't much care about anything. Not for a few years at least, until I met my wife and started thinking about what else life could be.

That's a good part of why I do what I do today, I know first hand what we're doing to people and the system is tougher today than it was then, things are just getting worse. We never have had a crime problem so much as a zero tolerance attitude problem, many of our criminals are created behind bars and out of what started as non-violent offenders.

[LibertyorDeath]

2. "To Serve & Protect"

How about that.




They sound like a bunch of Thugs...

[rucky]

3. ...and move the bodies a little closer.

(Carlin)

[LibertyorDeath]

12. I was laughing my ass off to Carlin

Just the other day.

Love his cynicism

[DeSwiss]

7. Maybe they've decided to go all ''Macho''.....

....in the aftermath of the Craig debacle.

- After all, it is Idaho...

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. That's disgusting

[DeSwiss]

9. And remember....

...these are the GRADUATES.

Good thing I have no plans on traveling to Idaho.

- Not in this lifetime anyways...

[L0oniX]

5. Police brutality ...the fun part of law enforcement.

I actually have a t-shirt with that on the front. Fun to wear to WTO protests.

[DeSwiss]

11. Good thing its not a bumper sticker....

...cause you'd be getting pulled over all the time.

[John Q. Citizen]

15. I was always in awe of people who put the

"Support your local police - Beat yourself up!" bumper sticker on thier car.

I always figured they were:

1. Ballsy and brave - Live Free or Die types.

2. Naive - "I know my rights!"

3. Undercover cops trying to appear to fall into catagory 1 or 2.

[HughBeaumont]

8. "Keep those filthy ants IN LINE!"

As Karen Williams waited on the side of the Ohio Turnpike for a tow truck, a state trooper pulled up.

Her car had hydroplaned during a rainstorm and swerved into a ditch along a stretch of the highway in Strongsville, and Williams figured the trooper was there to help. She figured wrong. The trooper cited her for failure to control.

Three weeks later, the angry Michigan woman drove 350 miles to Berea Municipal Court to fight the charge. The charge was dropped, but she had to pay court costs of $121.

http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/news/1198056935320050.xml&coll=2

Just one of the many examples, like the article, that give law enforcement in this country a bad name.

[DeSwiss]

13. That really sucks....

Is it FASCISM yet???

[Yuugal]

14. failure to control?

Wow. Just............WOW.

[HughBeaumont]

18. Unbelievable, isn't it?

This person was merely unfortunate, harmed NO one BTW, through absolutely no fault of her own. This was a case of a cop just unnecessarily being a straight-up dick, and the court knew this and tossed it. Nothing anyone else can say about it will convince me otherwise.

Of all my dealings with Ohio law enforcement throughout my lifetime, I can count the number of times where they were helpful, fair and courteous with the fingers on my left hand. 50 to 75% of them don't even deserve to wear badges. There are villages in Ohio that actually live on traffic tickets and dole them out for even the teensiest of infractions (one which was a mere street laden with bully redneck cops was shut down a few years ago).

[Bozita]

10. infuckingcredible!

My congrats to the folks in charge of screening applicants for the Idaho State Police.

Infuckingcredible!

[Didereaux]

16. It's Idaho with more Mormons than Utah, and they gave us Larry Craig too boot! n/t

[Major Hogwash]

25. No, sorry, less than a third of Idahoans are Mormon.

And there are only 1.3 million Idahoans, so either way, by the numbers or by the percentages, there are NOT more Mormons in Idaho than in Utah.

[Didereaux]

28. I said more mormons, not more people...sheesh!

[Major Hogwash]

42. Did you read my reply? Or are you a moron?

I said - anyway you cut it - there are NOT more Mormons in Idaho than in Utah.

[Downtown Hound]

17. I fucking hate cops

Flame me all you want about how they're not all bad and all the typical bullshit that cop defenders usually come up with. I've seen cops do too much shit, and they are simply out of control. I can't even look at cops without feeling anger.

[HughBeaumont]

19. See my post above.

Also, why are police officer's lives valued more than everyone elses? Abusers, rapists and murders of kids and women often get out and do it again, but if you kill a police officer, even by accident, that's instant death penalty? At least in Ohio that's the way it works.

[Thothmes]

21. What is your recommendation. Disband the police departments in the country.

[ProfessorGAC]

30. No. Screen The Applicants FAR More Carefully

That's what i think needs to be done. Not disband. Make it a more transparent and professional organization. Something needs to be done to dissolve the thin blue line.

The Professor

[Downtown Hound]

33. Number one

All cops must be equipped with some sort of camera device, either on a headset or somewhere else. ALL traffic stops and all police interactions with citizens must be recorded. If a citizen ever makes a complaint about police misconduct, and that tape is suddenly "missing," then that officer is terminated immediately, and possibly charged with obstructing justice.

End the drug war. The drug war more than anything else is what fuels this macho steroid-induced terminator mentality of the police. More civil rights violations have occurred because of the drug war than anything else. I shudder when I think of how many people have probably been imprisoned because they had dope planted on them by police. And if you think that doesn't happen, and happen regularly, think again.

Tasers either need to be banned outright or restricted to life and death situations. Currently, police are allowed to use them as an instrument of compliance, which is another way of saying it's legalized torture. I can actually see situations where it might be beneficial for police to have tasers, but they should be used in the same manner that a firearm is used: under extreme conditions only. Nowadays it seems that if you don't jump when a cop says jump, you get the taser.

If there's ever a successful civil judgment against an officer for misconduct, then that officer needs to be terminated. More than anything else, the thing that bothers me about police is the way they stick together. It's damn near impossible to get cops fired. Take a look at this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPseyY0Vg0E

Even after this girl was cleared of any wrongdoing, and after she got a dose of pepper spray to her eyes, and after the taxpayers had to shell out $60,000 because of this yokel with a badge, he was still cleared of any wrongdoing. Any other profession, he would have been fired.

[Thothmes]

37. Any other profession

You think cops stick together, check the stats on doctors in malpractice actions.

[Downtown Hound]

40. Okay, any other profession except for maybe a few

Soldier, politician, doctor, maybe a few others. Got me there. Congratulations. Everything else I said I pretty much stand by.

[GA_ArmyVet]

38. Thank you for making me feel loved.

Its a good thing cops do have a dark sense of humor and can laugh at things that makes others squeamish. So Merry Christmas anyway.

[Downtown Hound]

39. You're very welcome, and Merry Christmas to you too

I'm glad you find some humor in this, because I sure don't.

[GA_ArmyVet]

44. I don't find it humorous I just was commenting on your attitude

You lumped all cops in the same boat as those who do things wrong. If someone said "I hate all Jews, Blacks Latinos, Chinese, Garbage men, Welfare Recipients", or anything else you would get hammered a but it ok to hate all cops. Think about it...See four African Amercians with a shirt on that says "Fuck the Police" and someone responds with I hate all Black people. Ok, Well I am a cop, a damn good one too, and have been for 19 years. I have never beat, Tasered, Pepper sprayed, or night sticked anyone who did not swing at me or one of my fellow police officers. I have on the other hand picked up dead children from car wrecks cause by drunk drivers, I have informed parents their children are hurt, I have rushed injured people to hospital,I have rushed transplant organs and blood to other hospitals. I have cleaned up the mess left by others in our society who believe they are above following the rules. And then I get shit on by people like you who say I hate cops, all of em. So no, I did not find it funny, I could not think of anything to write in response at time, so I decided to wish you well in your hate filled little world. So with all that said and despite how you feel about police, if you are in my jurisdiction, you will still be treated fairly, and helped when in need, and sent on your way with a kind word.

On reflection, if you had narrowed your scope some, I probably would not be so pissed off, I do know of dirty police (Atlanta had some several years ago robbing strip clubs after closing), and usually the State Police or FBI breaking them up is the first we here about it. I also can understand if you ran into some crappy officer on you local level, but if every police officer you have ever met treated you like crap, maybe its not them, maybe its you. I could be wrong, but just my opinion.

[Echo In Light]

22. They're taking a cue from Bush/Cheney: don't hide authoritarianism, flaunt it

And yet they wonder why they're often referred to as "pigs."

...or do they really wonder?

[Perry Logan]

23. It's just a misguided statement of the warrior's credo. Warriors are born to kick butt.

[DefenseLawyer]

35. That's the problem: Cops who think of themselves as "warriors"

instead of public servants. It is pervasive in our law enforcement agencies, often with disastrous results.

[Downtown Hound]

36. Cops are not supposed to be "warriors"

They're supposed to be civil servants. Your post pretty much sums up the entire problem with police in this country. They're going around in their cars looking for some ass to kick.

[GA_ArmyVet]

45. Civilians are not supposed

to shoot at them with AK-47s while covered in Body Armor from head to toe either. But you never know what is going to happen on shift, you had better be prepared for everything you can prepare for.

[CabalPowered]

24. ISP is notorious. A former FBI guy

told me once that it was considered by the FBI to be the most militant of all the state police orgs.

[Major Hogwash]

26. Horseshit! They use less force than all of the surrounding states do!

Less deaths, less victims, less force.

Your former FBI friend was probably at Ruby Ridge!

[CabalPowered]

27. It was a family member who was an active agent in Idaho

for years. And no, he was not at Ruby Ridge.

Did you read the article?

[Major Hogwash]

41. Well, I'm very sorry you have a family member that is a total fucking asshole and a lying moron!

Can you believe anything else he says, since he worked for the fuckin' FBI - NO!!
Check out the statistics for yourself.
If YOU can read, that is.

[dysfunctional press]

29. the entire class should be booted.

that is the ONLY way for the department to retain ANY integrity.

[Initech]

31. Idaho police = "dont tase me, bro!"

[Sugar Smack]

32. PTSD is likely the cause of 132 US Troop suicides

since the tragedy in Iraq began:

http://icasualties.org/oif/

[southerncrone]

34. A example of how immature & jadded our society has become. Let's

face it, "Shock & Awe" & other catchy slogans are part of making violence, mayhem & murder cutesy so Merikuns don't feel guilty about what is REALLY happening.

This same bunch of "jr. high-minded" individuals now LEGALLY carry guns & are supposed to protect the citizens from "crazy, violent, lawless" people. Gimme a break! I think I'm in a very bad dream!
How can they honestly unleash this bunch of juveniles-in-adult-bodies on the populous?:scared:
:hide:

[avenger64]

43. Who will guard the guards themselves?

The worst part of this last seven years has been the growing militarism of our society. And I doubt the graduates of this fine program have much sympathy for us fuzzy-headed liberals. So if you're on Idaho, be careful with your bumper stickers.