Well ... the inevitable occurred. My week long vacation came to an abrupt end on Sunday. As I type out this blog posting, I am sitting in a room at a conference center in Carlisle, PA where I am attending a regional training conference sponsored by the International Conference of Police Chaplains. Today's sessions have centered on the growing problem of police suicide. Consider the following stats: every year in this country somewhere between 150-175 police officers are killed in the line of duty. In comparison, each year sees anywhere from 350 - 400 officers die of their own hand (or approximately one police suicide every day in the U.S.). That is a sad and sobering statistic.Today's seminar focused on the pain that police officers experience on the job and the toll that pain takes upon them. And because most police officers do not deal with stress in healthy ways (after all, they are cops and cops have to be tough!) - when the stress grows to unbearable levels, some officers see suicide as their only option. Today's presenter, Clarke Paris, is a Sgt. with the Las Vegas Metro PD. He recently produced a documentary film on law enforcement stress and police suicide (an outstanding film that EVERY cop should see! For a preview of the film, check out the following link: http://www.thepainbehindthebadge.com/thefilm.html).
I must say that when the final afternoon session was done (about 4:15) I felt emotionally drained. But I also felt a burden for the men and women who face the worst evils of society so that the rest of us don't have to! So let me ask you as you sign off my blog -- please pray for the law enforcement officers who serve our community. Many of them carry a lot of pain behind their badge!
Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj
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