19Feb 2018 by admin 1 Comment
After Columbine: Purpose and Meaning Embedded in the Trauma

After Columbine: Purpose and Meaning Embedded in the Trauma

Officers/Agents
[mc4wp_form id="746"] After Columbine: Purpose and Meaning Embedded in the Trauma By: Joshua Browne, M.P.S. Prelude to Columbine: As a career law enforcement officer, I have accepted interaction with direct and vicarious trauma, as a component of my professional commitment.  I understand I am required to run towards the sound of gun fire, even as others flea, regardless of personal risk to mind and body.  Lt. Col. Dave Grossman’s reference to the “Wolves, Sheep and Sheep Dogs” analogy best describes the law enforcement and military ethos (Grossman, 2004; Grossman, 2006).  According to Grossman (2004), the Sheep Dog confronts and neutralizes the wolf, relying on the empathy he feels for the sheep as motivation to use his gift of aggression.  As a Sheep Dog, I accept the responsibility to protect the…
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18Nov 2017 by admin 1 Comment
Joy in the Process: Reframing Happiness

Joy in the Process: Reframing Happiness

Officers/Agents
[mc4wp_form id="746"] By: Joshua Browne, M.P.S. Unfortunate or Blessed? A couple of weeks ago, an off-duty officer employed at my police department was walking in his apartment complex in route to check his mail box.  Along the way, he was intercepted by two young males, who attempted to rob him at gun point.  It appears the males were unaware he was an off-duty police officer carrying a concealed weapon.  During the encounter, gun fire was exchanged.  The off-duty officer sustained a non-life-threatening single gunshot wound to the foot, while one of the suspects incurred a single gunshot wound and the other two.  Both suspects were apprehended at the hospital a short time later and are currently in custody.  All involved are expected to make a full recovery.  As you contemplate…
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