Police union seeks more help for Newtown officers

[No Elephants]

Dec 26, 3:15 PM EST

Police union seeks more help for Newtown officers

By MICHAEL MELIA
Associated Press

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Some of the police officers who responded to the school shooting in Newtown are so traumatized they haven't been working, but they have to use sick time and could soon be at risk of going without a paycheck, a union official said Wednesday.

The union, Council 15 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, is seeking more generous assistance in talks with the town's insurer. It is also reaching out to lawmakers and the governor's office with proposals to modify state law and expand workers' compensation benefits for officers who witness horrific crime scenes.

"The insurer for the town has taken a position that these officers are entitled to only what the statute allows. Unfortunately for these officers, the statute doesn't allow any benefits," said Eric Brown, an attorney for the union, which represents nearly 4,000 officers around Connecticut.

A gunman shot his way into Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14 and slaughtered 20 first-graders and six educators. The gunman, who had also killed his mother that morning, committed suicide as police arrived.

Brown said that the number of officers "critically affected" by the tragedy is below 15 and that a small number of them are not currently working.

A spokesman for Newtown police, Lt. George Sinko, said the officers are generally holding up well.

This is a single incident, albeit a horrific one, and I am guessing that not many of the officers had any personal relationship with the victims. Imagine troops seeing their buddies killed, maybe even getting bits of their friends splattered on them in the process.

But PTSD is not real?

Amazing how some Bible thumpers will shut down their humanity, go all soul-less and lie their asses off when a buck is involved, no matter what the Bible says about love of money being the root of all evil.

[Enthusiast]

1. I can understand the officer's reaction. Yeah, PTSD.

You get it all in that last sentence. Plenty of that shutting down the humanity went on during the bible thumper Dubya Administration. We did Iraq for money and to be a war president. We caused a huge amount of unnecessary PTSD....and death of innocents. I see the perpetrators of Iraq in the same light as I see the Newtown shooter. Liars, thieves and murderers but we had to look forward, you know, out of respect, or something. They will never allow me back on DU3. I say the truth. Not allowed.

[formercia]

2. They should get help, Financial and otherwise.

I've suffered from PTSD for many Years. It's tough to just function normally. The demons keep coming back.

I empathize.

[Enthusiast]

3. I feel the same.

I went through an extremely traumatic event around twenty years ago. It took ages to recover-- partially. I was never diagnosed with PTSD but there is no mistaking the symptoms. So I empathize with the officers and you, formercia.

[No Elephants]

5. Demons return too many times uninvited. Trying to resist only seems to make it worse.

:hug:

You cannot prevent their return, but you can decide how you will respond to it.

Maybe the strategy is to prepare for their return?

[No Elephants]

4. I see so few differences between the behavior of the right

of the Republican Party and the right of the Democratic Party.

Both are idolatrous.

Both want to forestall or silence dissent.

Both are bullies.

Both pile on.

Both are in denial.

And so on.