John Kelly had a career as a police officer that lasted over 30 years. During that time he had a variety of positions as well as becoming a sergeant. One thing that he learned along the way was how to survive the constant life stress that this type of work puts on people.
This year, over 118 police officers have killed themselves. That’s more than double the amount of police that have been killed by gunfire. One of the aspects to John’s new work is to connect with departments and individuals to create an avenue where officers can get help and work out their problems. Talking to a counselor is good but talking to someone who’s been there with you, sharing the same experiences is better.
As John says, “Sometimes heroes need help…”
This is an important podcast to listen to even if you are not in law enforcement or the military. During the holiday season, people can easily magnify their problems. Listen and share it. Stay safe.
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Hi Arik,
I’ve been a long time listener but this is the first time I’ve been compelled to comment. The John Kelly episode really got to me.
I’ve been retired (25yrs) a little over 6 years from a large department in Virginia. I’m hoping the officers working now listen to this. Get the help now, don’t wait till you get too far down that hole.
I remember in the early 2000’s, we had a fatal crash. The victim, a pregnant woman, in her vehicle. We couldn’t open the doors and officers were trying to get in through the sunroof. Rescue arrived, got in and called it. What struck me, the victim didn’t have a scratch on her. She was young, beautiful, pregnant, her whole life ahead. I don’t remember what happened with her baby. But it bothered me so I brought it up at roll call. I told them how I felt and what could we do. They just all looked at me, not a comment. I think it was a subject they didn’t want to address. I never brought it up again in public.
If you do this job long enough, you’ll have a lot of memories like this. It’s good to have someone to talk to.