Stressed Officers Can Talk It Out, Cop 2 Cop.
Law Enforcement Hotline (NJ) for 24/7 outreach stress intervention.
Shot in the face, with several teeth and half his lower jaw blown away by a gunman's bullet, Newark Officer Eduardo Patinho struggled as much with the emotional aftermath of his injuries as with the physical ones.
He would replay the shooting over and over in his mind, wondering how it happened, what had gone wrong, what he might have done differently to prevent the Oct. 9, 2004 incident, which occurred when he and his partner were dispatched to check out a report of shots fired on a Newark street corner. It kept him awake at night, and crowded his thoughts during the day.
"You worry, you're afraid," said Patinho. "I have nightmares sometimes. I needed someone to talk to."
In the world of law enforcement, that's not always easy to do. Cops are trained to be tough, to keep control of a situation and of their own emotions.
The Cop 2 Cop peer counseling program is staffed around the clock by retired law enforcement volunteers and trained professionals specializing in police psychology. Unlike other crisis hot lines, the voice on the other end of this phone line will be someone who once wore a uniform, carried a gun and knows firsthand what the caller is going through.
Want to learn more, visit the Cop2CopOnline web site. Find the help you need or learn to become a volunteer willing to help save the life of a fellow officer. |
