THE FORGOTTEN ONES

[DILLON 45]

I would like to ask the public this question:

Cops, especially line officers deal with many types of calls, from service calls to the very serious, including the most
dreaded, a spouse becomes a widower.
You and your partner stop a car with a expired plate, it's a spring day sun shining, the next thing your'e doing is trying
to stuff back the brains in your partners head while he dies in your lap.

Ok you get the gist, it's like going to war everyday when you put on that uniform and badge, you become public target # 1
hey it comes with the job right?.
Speaking of war we have our veterans risking their lives in countries far from home, and some don't make it home.
A lot of cops were veterans before putting on the badge and we all appreciate their service to our country, they
certainly deserve it. We make a point to provide for our veterans with many programs designed for this purpose.

Now let me ask about the cop who go's to war everyday in this country, what happens to him or her
when they are cut down ? What programs are out their for the cop? not to many. The ones that are killed may
leave a family with children, who now grows up minus a father or mother.
And than we have the cop who is disabled for life, some confined to a wheel chair.

We need to make sure they are not forgotten and have enough to live on, and this can only be done with private groups
that get legislation passed so these cops can afford the medicine and treatment they need.
People have no idea how many cops are out there suffering because they can't afford basic medical care, our veterans
get this care, WHY IS IT THE SAME COPS THAT GAVE THEMSELVES TO PROTECT US DON'T ?.

This is a travesty and should not be tolerated, I have seen first hand the way these men and woman suffer because
they are FORGOTTEN by the public. They should have recourse the same as a veteran, instead they are forgotten
and pushed away.

Thank you for reading.

Sincerely,

Dillon45

[Rhino]

So, you think police officers should have socialized medicine? What about everyone else?

[DILLON 45]

So, you think police officers should have socialized medicine? What about everyone else?

I guess you missed the point, does veterans have socialized medicine ? I'm speaking of disabled cops, same as they have for veterans, cops
have a bit of a different job than the average person. So my answer to you is NO

[Xiphos]

Workers comp and disability insurance generally do a decent job taking care of on duty injuries. I think what military veterans and law enforcement need is better mental health treatment. We need better programs to help all of us. We do annual equipment qualifications and training and physical exams, yet nobody gets any mental health checkups. The fear of problems making it back to the job and interfering with the career as well as the stigma and expectation to "suck it up" make this a difficult proposition. The fact that suicide claims more of our own than other on duty related deaths should be stark reminder that what we're doing now isn't working.