The following article was published as editorial on the Law Enforcement Today website, and elements were used in an op-ed piece for the Tampa Bay Times.
My father was a police officer in Pa. who died from health issues in 1999. He rotated shifts every 3 weeks. In your article I thought you had interviewed him. I loved my dad very much. He became an alcoholic and was very physical with my mom. He and alcohol did not mix. We as kids (4) knew we could not call the police because he was the police and he might get fired. So families of Police/Firemen/ EMT's need some counseling to help us forget or deal with what we witnessed. We sacrificed too. Was very hard going to school or church and pretend everything was fine.
Ms. Mary- God bless you and your family. Your example is exactly what I meant when I said that our families certainly didn’t sign up for the ugly parts of the job. I hope you all found peace, including your father. I’m willing to wager that one of the demons he fought was his anger at himself for how he treated all of you. It’s a dark cycle. Thank you for reading the article.
My father was a police officer in Pa. who died from health issues in 1999. He rotated shifts every 3 weeks. In your article I thought you had interviewed him. I loved my dad very much. He became an alcoholic and was very physical with my mom. He and alcohol did not mix. We as kids (4) knew we could not call the police because he was the police and he might get fired. So families of Police/Firemen/ EMT's need some counseling to help us forget or deal with what we witnessed. We sacrificed too. Was very hard going to school or church and pretend everything was fine.
Ms. Mary- God bless you and your family. Your example is exactly what I meant when I said that our families certainly didn’t sign up for the ugly parts of the job. I hope you all found peace, including your father. I’m willing to wager that one of the demons he fought was his anger at himself for how he treated all of you. It’s a dark cycle. Thank you for reading the article.