# Cops back from the war: What problems do they pose?



## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

By Chuck Remsberg, Senior PoliceOne Contributor

Part 1 of a 3-part series

Thousands of American law enforcement officers have been called to military service in Iraq and Afghanistan, and authorities are increasingly focusing attention on how well some of those can reintegrate into domestic policing once they return home.

Isolated instances of serious problems have made headlines, raising concerns about potentially persistent negative effects of combat experience.

• In Texas, an officer recently back from reservist deployment to Iraq, opened fire on a suspect who was running through a crowded shopping center. The rounds narrowly missed the officer's partner and one lodged in a van occupied by two children. "Everyone believes he should not have fired," the officer's attorney told _USA Today_. "His assessment of the threat level was wrong. He was assessing as if he was back in the military, not [as] a police officer."

• In Georgia, an officer who'd served in Iraq with the National Guard was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter. He was part of a misdirected drug raid in which an elderly woman was killed. His lawyer says he was undergoing treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition afflicting a significant percentage of returning vets.

• In Nevada, a trooper who'd been in Iraq as an Army Guardsman, pleaded guilty to felony reckless driving and was sentenced to 2 to 12 years. According to the _New York Times_, he was driving 118 mph when he slammed into another car, killing four people and critically injuring another. 
No one claims that all-or even a majority-of post-deployment veterans are menaces to society once they pin a badge back on and resume patrol duties. But by the same token, says Dr. Stephen Curran, a Maryland psychologist who counsels officers, "You can't just put people back in [law enforcement] jobs, give them their guns and expect that things are going to be fine. Getting back into the flow of things is a challenge."

Full Article: http://www.policeone.com/writers/columnists/CharlesRemsberg/articles/1671818/


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## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

*Coming home, part 2: The challenges facing cops returning from battle

*
Part 2 of a 3-part exclusive PoliceOne series

_*Note:*_ This series deals with the potential problems of LEOs attempting to reintegrate into domestic policing after serving military combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our reporting is based on the presentations of experts at a unique, invitation-only symposium for law enforcement and mental health professionals at the Washington (D.C.) Metropolitan Police Academy, organized by Dr. Beverly Anderson, clinical director and administrator of the Metropolitan Police Employee Assistance Program. PoliceOne was the only communications agency permitted to attend. 
In Part 1, we explored the battlefield culture, the mental injuries war commonly inflicts, and the fact that returning veterans will inevitably be changed, sometimes in negative ways, by what they have experienced.

[Read feedback on Part 1 from Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, author of _On Combat_ and PoliceOne National Advisory Board Member]. 
Once a law officer-or any returning soldier, for that matter-begins the process of reintegrating to home and job, "the road is likely to be longer, steeper and tougher than getting ready for combat," said Capt. Aaron Krenz, a criminal justice-trained reintegration operations officer and Iraq veteran with the Minnesota National Guard. Often the men and women involved "don't anticipate this." 
Hyper-vigilant, quick-trigger mentalities that helped an officer survive for months in a combat zone "don't just go away, there's no switch to turn this off," Krenz said. And that's the core of the reintegration struggle. Explains Maj. David Englert, chief of the Behavioral Analysis Division of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations: "Everything that made sense over there doesn't make sense here." 
A simple example is driving style. In Iraq, Englert said, you'd swerve if you saw a water bottle on the roadway because it might be an IED, the greatest cause of injury and death in the war zone. You'd run cars off the road to get to your destination as fast as possible. You'd shoot any unknown vehicle that got too close to you for fear of an ambush.

Full Article Part 2: http://www.policeone.com/writers/co...challenges-facing-cops-returning-from-battle/


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## pballernh (Oct 6, 2007)

Wow, that's a good article. I think they hit the nail on the head when they said reintegration after a deployment is a harder and longer process than preparing for war in the first place. It it so true and it is one reason why the Army recently implemented additional leave days for soldiers based on number of months deployed so they get more time off when they get home.

Thanks


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## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

*Cops returning from war zones: 6 keys to easing back to the street*

In Part 1, we explored the battlefield culture, the mental injuries war commonly inflicts, and the fact that returning veterans will inevitably be changed, sometimes in negative ways, by what they have experienced.

Part 2 outlined a variety of post-combat symptoms frequently evidenced after vets reach home that may negatively impact their performance in policing if not recognized and resolved.

Most law enforcement agencies seem to have given little formal thought to how best to reintegrate combat veterans back into domestic street assignments. Those that have addressed the problem have put measures in place that run from the simplistic to the sophisticated.










At one end of the spectrum, a chief in South Carolina is alleged to have said that he simply doesn't bring any officer veteran onto his force until he or she has been back from a war zone for at least three years. Period. On the other hand, the Los Angeles County (Calif.) Sheriff's Dept. processes returning personnel through a four-day "repatriation" program, developed under the agency's chief psychologist, Dr. Audrey Honig.(For a day-by-day description of LASD's program, go click here.)

Another psychologist, Dr. Ellen Marshall, a traumatic stress researcher and criminal justice instructor at Delaware Technical & Community College and the Union Institute and University, attended the Washington symposium as part of her research in assisting the Delaware State Police to design a cutting-edge reintegration program. The symposium's organizer, Dr. Beverly Anderson, is updating and expanding procedures and services for the Washington Metropolitan Police Dept., which already offers confidential debriefing and therapy to returning cops and their families.

And a fourth psychologist, Dr. Laura Zimmerman, who researches police issues for the consulting firm Applied Research Associates/Klein Associates Division, is collaborating with the International Assn. of Chiefs of Police on a project aimed at fully exploring the issues involved in hiring or reintegrating combat vets. The goal is to make recommendations for future research and training and to provide resources to veterans and agencies confronting reintegration challenges.

"Reintegration procedures should be part of an on-going comprehensive plan that all law enforcement agencies put in place to take care of their officers," Anderson told PoliceOne. "Short-term strategies produce only limited results and high officer turnover. An effective, well-implemented, long-term post-deployment program is what's needed. Started today, it will help prevent problem behavior in the future."

Whatever the details end up being, the seminar presenters offered six fundamental concepts that should be considered when formulating a reintegration plan:

Full Article: http://www.policeone.com/police-pro...ar-zones-6-keys-to-easing-back-to-the-street/

*4 critical days: LASD's transition from foreign battlefield to domestic streets*

_Dr. Audrey Honig, chief psychologist for the Los Angeles County (Calif.) Sheriff's Dept., provides PoliceOne with description of the department's process for reintegrating combat veterans back into a domestic street environment:_
The LASD Repatriation program began with the LASD Personnel Administration Bureau assisting employees leaving for and returning from active military duty with issues related to pay and benefits. It has grown in scope from that time. Cmdr. Lynda Castro chairs the department's Military Activation Committee and has taken the lead role in directing the development and coordination of the program.
The program today consists of a four-day repatriation program and on-going support and reorientation. On the first day the employee returns to Personnel Administration and re-establishes benefits and pay.
During the second day the employee obtains updates on Department policy and laws that may impact the work. The employee is also reissued the duty weapon and must qualify on that weapon. The employee returns to the unit of assignment on this day, is welcomed by the unit commander and is reacquainted with the unit's Military Liaison Officer. This person acts as a point person for navigating reintegration issues. The employee is also assigned a mentor who can assist with specific training issues should the need arise.
On the third day the employee meets with a department psychologist. This meeting is not a Fitness for Duty Assessment. Rather it is an opportunity for the employee to be made aware of the services available to him and his family as well as to normalize the potential reactions he may experience over the next six months or so during his re-integration into civilian life and the department. It is also an opportunity for the employee to address any issues related to the deployment. The meeting is mandatory. The content of the discussion in the meeting is confidential and only attendance may be disclosed.
The fourth day, and newest addition, is a tactical refresher course. This refresher is used to reorient employees to the tactical approaches approved for use by the LASD as well as sensitize the employee to issues regarding the differing rules of engagement between the military and civilian policing.
The program is ever evolving and improving. We are currently in the process of making operational a cadre of peer support personnel specifically trained to assist employees returning from active military service. The group will be made up of individuals who have had military experience. In addition, we recognize that many of our new employees are coming to us from active military service. As a way of assisting them we have developed a class, presented during their custody training, on recognizing and managing traumatic stress.

http://www.policeone.com/police-pro...from-foreign-battlefield-to-domestic-streets/


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