This memorandum is to inform you of my interest in joining the Peer Support Program.
Below I have gone into great detail about my personal life, as I feel that it is important in choosing the appropriate individuals for this program. I truly believe having someone on the peer support team that has experienced personally the stresses that we come across and how to overcome stresses.
Recently (with in the past year), I have had the opportunity to realize the toll that this profession takes on our personal lives.
Personal Background
My wife and I have been married for almost 10 years (September 23rd). We have 2 daughters one that is 8 years old (Maeve) and one that is 5 (Quinnlan). The stress in my life began with our second daughter. …show more content…
I was at home and received a call around 2300 hrs for a crime scene call out. I knew while I listened to automated message that this callout was for the little girl I wasn’t able to find earlier in the day. I responded to our department as a member of the Crime Scene Team. After getting out assignments, we went to scene. I was at the scene for about 15 minutes before I broke down and had to go home.
I did the typical cop thing and tucked away my feelings. I attended a debrief about a month later and thought I was good after that.
Just prior to going to Blue Courage, I realized that I am not okay. I came to realize that my work was suffering, as well as my home life. At work, I was avoiding completing the CPS referrals that were assigned to me. I knew I had to get them done, but I just could not bring myself to actually do them. I would always make myself busy and use that as justification for not completing them. I also realized that over this year, I would be extremely short with my own girls at home and became disconnected from my wife.
I finally had the courage to tell myself, I am not okay and need to talk to someone to sort out my feelings. I reached out to a SGT at my department and broke down in front of …show more content…
Initially I know that I had mixed feelings about attending the class and participated just enough to fly under the radar. However, this class has and will help me in more ways than anyone can imagine.
I have since met with a counselor and have discussed ways to not only help myself but those I work with and families of those that I work with.
After struggling internally with my issues for years and/or not wanting to recognize them, I realize that if I hadn’t been honest with myself when I had been. I would have become another statistic of a divorced Police Officer and probably had lost my job as it had started to work performance.
I feel that there is so much more that our Peer Support Program can do with-in our department that can make all of us healthier. We all wanted to become a Police Officer so we could help others and some would even say that it is even in our “DNA”, but the majority of us don’t take care of ourselves when we need to. There has been a long culture within the Law Enforcement field that we are just expected to tuck away/bury those things and more on to the
Below I have gone into great detail about my personal life, as I feel that it is important in choosing the appropriate individuals for this program. I truly believe having someone on the peer support team that has experienced personally the stresses that we come across and how to overcome stresses.
Recently (with in the past year), I have had the opportunity to realize the toll that this profession takes on our personal lives.
Personal Background
My wife and I have been married for almost 10 years (September 23rd). We have 2 daughters one that is 8 years old (Maeve) and one that is 5 (Quinnlan). The stress in my life began with our second daughter. …show more content…
I was at home and received a call around 2300 hrs for a crime scene call out. I knew while I listened to automated message that this callout was for the little girl I wasn’t able to find earlier in the day. I responded to our department as a member of the Crime Scene Team. After getting out assignments, we went to scene. I was at the scene for about 15 minutes before I broke down and had to go home.
I did the typical cop thing and tucked away my feelings. I attended a debrief about a month later and thought I was good after that.
Just prior to going to Blue Courage, I realized that I am not okay. I came to realize that my work was suffering, as well as my home life. At work, I was avoiding completing the CPS referrals that were assigned to me. I knew I had to get them done, but I just could not bring myself to actually do them. I would always make myself busy and use that as justification for not completing them. I also realized that over this year, I would be extremely short with my own girls at home and became disconnected from my wife.
I finally had the courage to tell myself, I am not okay and need to talk to someone to sort out my feelings. I reached out to a SGT at my department and broke down in front of …show more content…
Initially I know that I had mixed feelings about attending the class and participated just enough to fly under the radar. However, this class has and will help me in more ways than anyone can imagine.
I have since met with a counselor and have discussed ways to not only help myself but those I work with and families of those that I work with.
After struggling internally with my issues for years and/or not wanting to recognize them, I realize that if I hadn’t been honest with myself when I had been. I would have become another statistic of a divorced Police Officer and probably had lost my job as it had started to work performance.
I feel that there is so much more that our Peer Support Program can do with-in our department that can make all of us healthier. We all wanted to become a Police Officer so we could help others and some would even say that it is even in our “DNA”, but the majority of us don’t take care of ourselves when we need to. There has been a long culture within the Law Enforcement field that we are just expected to tuck away/bury those things and more on to the