PO Potatoes- The thoughts and musings of a crime fighting Potato

The biggest difference in how officers respond to trauma and death (IMO) is the culture of the department and the supervisors around them.  We all know most first responders and military have a dark sense of humor, sometimes almost to a point it is offensive to people who AREN'T in those same circles. My wife is one of those people who "get" the dark humor, but doesn't actually get it and that's OK.  She helps to keep me regulated in that regard. My first homicide victim was a 19 year old man who was gunned down leaving a corner store after having bought a bag of chips and a red pop of some sort.  I can remember as I was tasked with putting up tape I just stood there staring at this lifeless body wrapped up in a bicycle and leaned against the wall.  I can even remember hearing the shots from the district station.  The hearing of the shots and now seeing this life snuffed out was a weird concoction of sorts. While I didn't know this guy at all, and it was goin

 " What do you see when you're in the dark, and the demons come? " - Frank Horrigan ( In The Line of Fire) It's 4 am as I start to write this.  It has been something bouncing around in my head for a while, and if you know me I'm all about dumping shit off your chest.  I'm a big advocate for cops seeking out mental health resources.  That can be with a licensed counselor, a PhD'd doctor, a clinician, a good friend, or just a buddy at work.  We all need to vent out work related stresses, and when we don't it should be no surprise police officers have a higher rate of suicide than other professions.  And in Chicago we are found to be even higher within the profession. My first dead body was an elderly man that had a lot of health issues and his kids couldn't get him on the phone.  We made entry and found him.  He was long gone.  But I clearly remember 2 distinct things about him, his eyes (which were still open) and his hand was grasping the cord for

One of the narratives that is alive and strong today, more so in certain circles, is that the police are nothing more than a wing of the government that is meant to oppress, tax, and murder.  Usually along with that narrative is that modern policing sprout from slave catchers pre- and during the Civil War era in the US.  That frame of mind does nothing but put police on the same plane as the pro-slavery supporters, Nazis and bloodthirsty communists of the 20th century, and the sociopaths that police routinely put behind bars. More times than I care to count I have been on the scene of a shooting, usually a young man, more often than not black/African American, and normally known to us from arrests or not-so-positive interactions.  Usually they are in their gang's territory, or were followed.  In any case, there are usually young teenagers or young adults.  Many have been in and out of bad homes, or come from single parent house holds, or even just raised by grandma.  They foun

Last year, 2018, more cops took their life than were killed in the line of duty.  2019 hasn't started off much better for Chicago or the US.  Just about every cop has been touched by suicide of a brother or sister in blue, myself included.  Even when it isn't someone we know, the sadness still dwells in our hearts, but we regroup and return to duty. Our veterans of our wars take their lives at an alarmingly high rate, roughly 22 per day.  But other than a push-up challenge and a few celebrities speaking out on it, its probably not on the forefront of most people's minds.  We've asked them to put themselves in horrific situations and circumstances and then forget their service outside of a few holidays. Most know it's rude to ask a service member if they have taken a life in war, and most people wouldn't ask that.  Most people would probably ask about what cool weaponry they used or their fallen brethren.  Most people know not to ask the sensitive questi