Tag: copsalive

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Matt’s Last Call

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I recently had a chance to interview Julie Zielinski about her new book entitled: “Matt’s Last Call: Surviving Our Protectors”. Julie wrote the book after her son, a sheriff’s deputy in Washington state, took his own life. As Julie reflects on the death of her firstborn son, she informs parents and children of the dangers of suicide, the difficulty of coping, the pain of everyday life, and lastly the days that happiness returns, even if just a little bit.

Matt Zielinski was an athlete, a U.S. Marine Corp. Sergeant, and ultimately fulfilled his dream of becoming a law enforcement officer. Matt worked for the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office in Wenatchee, Washington. He loved his work and was due to be appointed to the SWAT Team because… Continue reading

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To Be An American a Salute to Our Veterans

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CopsAlive.com joins the NRA’ Life of Duty Channel in saluting America’s veterans. We recognize that many of our nation’s peace officers are military veterans and to all of you we say “thank you for your service”. This trailer, which is a preview of this months Patriot Profile could also represent those in law enforcement if you didn’t know that he was talking about the military.

This trailer entitled “To be an American” is a preview to this month’s Patriot Profile Feature “Broken & Undone” but it also serves as a tribute to Veterans Day. This piece focuses on… Continue reading

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Grin and Bear it

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A few months ago, I received a telephone call from a family friend during date night with my wife. The call was from a family friend so I answered the phone. Our friend was in the observatory which is on top of the Prudential Tower in Boston. She called asking for some advice. The power was off and it was dark.
• Friend: The lights and the power are off and no one is telling us what to do?… Continue reading

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Coping With On-The-Job Stress and Injuries

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How many current and former law enforcement officers are out there suffering with mental and physical injuries; and how do we help them? Listen to our interview with a former officer who talks about his battles with PTSD and the injuries that forced his retirement.

Recently I had a chance to have a very candid discussion with “M” a retired officer from a mid-sized police department in the eastern United States.. “M” asked that I not use his name to protect his privacy, but he had some interesting things to say about his struggle with PTSD and the injuries that forced him to leave the job he loved.

You can listen to our… Continue reading

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A Tribute to LAPD Officer Randal Simmons

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LAPD SWAT Officer Randal Simmons was killed in the line of duty during a SWAT operation on February 7, 2008.

Now NRALifeofDuty.tv (presented by Brownells) has created a film about his beliefs and work as a man, and LAPD Officer. The program is entitled “Protect & Serve” and you can watch the trailer below. (A link to the full feature is at the bottom of this article)

Police Officer Simmons was shot and killed while entering the residence of a murder suspect. The suspect had called police and stated that he had shot three of his family members. The department’s SWAT team responded to the call and Officer Simmons and Officer James Veenstra were the first officers… Continue reading

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Burnout in Law Enforcement

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Many law enforcement officers come to a point in their careers where they have that feeling that the flame has gone out. The spark of enthusiasm has disappeared. The job is not fun anymore. These are some of the indicators of Police Burnout.

Early in my career there was a funny saying B.O.S.S., which made light fun of Officer Burnout with a tongue in cheek cartoon of an officer doing the Superman pose with the B as a symbol on his chest. If I remember correctly, there was a club you could send away a gag application for membership too.

Unfortunately many LEO’s of the past suffered from the symptoms and the reality of burnout. It affected their performance on and off the job. Burnout was not a formally recognized symptom or hazard of public safety career.  Although we laughed about it, it destroyed many careers and people.

Burnout or compassion fatigue has… Continue reading

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Life After Law Enforcement

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What are you going to do after your law enforcement career ends? Are you planning now for what you will do? We do not have complete control about how our careers will progress and what will happen to us on the job. There are many pitfalls that can derail even a successful career in law enforcement.

None of us can predict how long our career in police work or law enforcement will last, but we can create a strategy for how we want our careers to progress and when we want to leave the job. We can plan for what we will do after we leave the job for another career, or how we will live and what we will do, with our time in retirement.

I recently had a chance to speak with one such former police officer who had a plan and who is now helping others in law enforcement and elsewhere plan for their futures in many ways. His name is Brian Deegan, and he created a plan for his success while he was working as a cop and now helps others create their plans. Continue reading

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Invitation to a Seminar Featuring Sean Riley of Safe Call Now

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The Canyon at Santa Monica Outpatient Services would like to invite you to their Lunch & Learn Event with Sean Riley Founder of Safe Call Now where they will be discussing: “Resources for First Responders Coping with Stress & PTSD”.  Read Below for Details Continue reading

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Today is PTSD Awareness Day

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Today is PTSD Awareness Day in the United States.  Please visit the website for the National Center for PTSD to learn more about this terrible disorder that affects many law enforcement officers around the world.

Click on these links to learn more:
http://www.ptsd.va.gov/about/ptsd-awareness/ptsd_awareness_month.asp
http://www.ptsd.va.gov/about/ptsd-awareness/12_ways_to_help.asp

An important question for us is how many of us in law enforcement have the symptoms… Continue reading

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We Support Heroes Behind the Badge, Do You?

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“Heroes Behind the Badge” is a new documentary film being created to honor America’s heroes in law enforcement.  This inspiring documentary will change the way we look at the men and women of law enforcement and highlight the unselfish acts of bravery… Continue reading