• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Subscribe to the Magazine
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Editor’s Picks
    • The power of teamwork
      Stay awake and alert on the job
      The worst rank in law enforcement
      Firearms maintenance
      Why fries need salt
  • Topics
    • On the Job
      • LAPD officers arrest man in Hollywood for criminal threats, prevent...
        Georgia officer pushes stranded woman’s car to gas station
        Washington police K-9 retires after nearly a decade of service
        “An emotional encounter”: Connecticut police officer talks a man...
        California police officer uses K-9’s leash to rescue drowning man
    • Labor
      • South Dakota Police Department offers $5,000 hiring bonuses to boost...
        Sioux Falls Police Department offers $5K hiring bonuses to boost...
        San Francisco mulls over increasing police recruitment bonuses to...
        Nevada may soon allow noncitizens to become police officers to...
        Florida pays out $5M in hiring bonuses for more than one thousand...
    • Tech
      • Scott City police dispatchers use new technology to livestream...
        NYPD iconic police cruisers get high-tech makeover
        NYPD warns of police attacks after Apple AirTag device was found on...
        Airbnb expands law enforcement portal to fight child trafficking
        West Virginia law enforcement agencies use drones to get a...
    • Training
      • Pennsylvania police utilize VR for de-escalation training
        Running your patrol rifle like a champion
        Present ability, opportunity and apparent intent
        Defensive tactics
        Mechanics, consistency and aggression
    • Policy
      • Iowa House proposes legislation to criminalize ransomware
        Atlanta’s “Cop City” training center project approved despite...
        Arkansas sheriff’s offices refuse to enforce federal ATF gun policy
        President Biden signs bill expanding national missing persons database
        California Highway Patrol spotlights new traffic laws for 2023
    • Health/Wellness
      • Retired Wisconsin police officer offers mental health services for...
        Coping with internal investigation or legal action
        The value of data: Wellness through the eyes of officers
        What officers love, hope and worry about
        Don’t be “that guy” — get moving
    • Community
      • Washington’s King County sets record for fentanyl overdose deaths...
        Brotherly love: Police officer donates kidney to deputy sibling
        North Charleston police officer drafted by professional football team
        “I’m very, very blessed”: Cleveland police officer back on...
        Newark good Samaritan honored for assisting wounded officers
    • Offbeat
      • Pig crosses path with law enforcement in Virginia
        Texas police find cute dog behind the wheel in reckless driving...
        Drunk-driving suspect performs backflip for Ohio police during...
        “Like a scene from ‘Home Alone’”: Georgia man slips on ice...
        “Some real sitcom stuff there”: Florida burglars call 9-1-1 for...
    • We Remember
      • “I had a calling”: Colorado cadet inspired by fallen hero Eric...
        Chicago police remember fallen and injured officers this holiday...
        Deputy killed by roommate after he “jokingly” pulled trigger of...
        Maryland’s oldest cold case solved
        At least 13 officers shot in five days as wave of violence sweeps...
  • On the Job
    • LAPD officers arrest man in Hollywood for criminal threats, prevent...
      Georgia officer pushes stranded woman’s car to gas station
      Washington police K-9 retires after nearly a decade of service
      “An emotional encounter”: Connecticut police officer talks a man...
      California police officer uses K-9’s leash to rescue drowning man
  • Labor
    • South Dakota Police Department offers $5,000 hiring bonuses to boost...
      Sioux Falls Police Department offers $5K hiring bonuses to boost...
      San Francisco mulls over increasing police recruitment bonuses to...
      Nevada may soon allow noncitizens to become police officers to...
      Florida pays out $5M in hiring bonuses for more than one thousand...
  • Tech
    • Scott City police dispatchers use new technology to livestream...
      NYPD iconic police cruisers get high-tech makeover
      NYPD warns of police attacks after Apple AirTag device was found on...
      Airbnb expands law enforcement portal to fight child trafficking
      West Virginia law enforcement agencies use drones to get a...
  • Training
    • Pennsylvania police utilize VR for de-escalation training
      Running your patrol rifle like a champion
      Present ability, opportunity and apparent intent
      Defensive tactics
      Mechanics, consistency and aggression
  • Policy
    • Iowa House proposes legislation to criminalize ransomware
      Atlanta’s “Cop City” training center project approved despite...
      Arkansas sheriff’s offices refuse to enforce federal ATF gun policy
      President Biden signs bill expanding national missing persons database
      California Highway Patrol spotlights new traffic laws for 2023
  • Health/Wellness
    • Retired Wisconsin police officer offers mental health services for...
      Coping with internal investigation or legal action
      The value of data: Wellness through the eyes of officers
      What officers love, hope and worry about
      Don’t be “that guy” — get moving
  • Community
    • Washington’s King County sets record for fentanyl overdose deaths...
      Brotherly love: Police officer donates kidney to deputy sibling
      North Charleston police officer drafted by professional football team
      “I’m very, very blessed”: Cleveland police officer back on...
      Newark good Samaritan honored for assisting wounded officers
  • Offbeat
    • Pig crosses path with law enforcement in Virginia
      Texas police find cute dog behind the wheel in reckless driving...
      Drunk-driving suspect performs backflip for Ohio police during...
      “Like a scene from ‘Home Alone’”: Georgia man slips on ice...
      “Some real sitcom stuff there”: Florida burglars call 9-1-1 for...
  • We Remember
    • “I had a calling”: Colorado cadet inspired by fallen hero Eric...
      Chicago police remember fallen and injured officers this holiday...
      Deputy killed by roommate after he “jokingly” pulled trigger of...
      Maryland’s oldest cold case solved
      At least 13 officers shot in five days as wave of violence sweeps...
  • Between the Lines
    • Persecution of the LEO is Classic Schadenfreude
      The Rule of Law is Worthless Without Order
      School policing: a paradox of the defund movement
      Defending the honor of the LE profession – finally!
      The dichotomy of the defund movement: reality setting in
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Search

Health/Wellness

One officer’s survival story

Healing from post-traumatic stress

Dan Willis Published September 18, 2022 @ 6:00 am PDT

iStock.com/g-stockstudio

Every officer is vulnerable to potentially experiencing severe distress and suffering caused by an accumulation of daily work traumas. With increased understanding of the nature of trauma, support and effective wellness mechanisms within police agencies, officers (and dispatchers) can heal and ultimately experience post-traumatic growth — recovery and positive transformation after experiencing trauma.

I could never have made it without the people who cared for and helped me — the kind and compassionate fellow officers who came to my aid.

Sergeant Tim Purdy (La Mesa, CA): A career of trauma

During Tim Purdy’s 12 years as a patrol and SWAT officer, he had experienced not only the slow drip of daily work traumas, but also several significant critical incidents.

Then the critical incident occurred that caused Purdy’s entire life to slowly spiral out of control. Officers responded in the middle of the night to frantic calls of a man chasing his wife and two children through the neighborhood with a shotgun, threatening to kill them.

When Purdy and the other officers confronted the gunman, he racked a round into his shotgun and pointed it directly at the officers, who all fired multiple rounds, killing the man instantly.

The crisis

The trauma of that night, along with all the other traumas of the past 12 years, significantly injured Purdy’s brain and its ability to function normally. Over the next few months, he became increasingly distant, isolated and depressed. Eventually he became emotionally dead inside, unable to feel much of anything other than anxiety, panic and depression. He became tormented by uncontrollable emotions and terribly distressing intrusive thoughts and images. His marriage began to deteriorate.

Then the day after Christmas, Purdy arrived home from work and discovered his wife had moved out of the house without any notice. He had already experienced suicidal thoughts, and this shock literally brought him to his knees.

In his great grief and hopeless despair, all Purdy could think about was ending his life. He couldn’t see any path forward to recover and heal, and he had no idea what to do in that moment. He was distraught over all that he could have and should have done before he reached this desperate and hopeless place.

However, in that worst moment of his life, Purdy realized that killing himself would only result in others suffering his loss. He courageously called a peer support officer from his agency. That officer, who was off duty, came to his house within 20 minutes and spent the night with him. That selfless gesture of compassion literally saved Purdy’s life.

Purdy continued to struggle and eventually sought help from a trauma professional. Peer
support officers routinely continued to check in with Purdy and offer their comfort and support.

The recovery

Purdy’s agency sent him to a trauma professional who was certified in eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, or EMDR. There are EMDR trauma professionals in nearly every community throughout the country and they are specialists in trauma recovery and healing (see emdria.org for more information).

In Purdy’s own words: “This was one of the best gifts I have ever been given. It was an incredible, lifesaving experience. In just a few sessions over a relatively short period of time, EMDR helped me to finally heal from my severe and debilitating internal injuries, which had plagued me for over three years. It helped me to get unstuck, to reboot my brain and to disassociate myself from all the horrible thoughts and emotions attached to my trauma experience memories, so that I could once again be normal and have my mind function properly.

“EMDR enabled me to file away in my mind a lot of things and to put them into their proper perspective so that they no longer crippled me. I didn’t forget the memories, but I can now think about them and talk about them without suffering any negative or debilitating effects.

“Eventually, I was fully back to loving my life again. I could never have made it without the people who cared for and helped me — the kind and compassionate fellow officers who came to my aid. The department’s peer support team and our police psychologist saved me, and I was once again able to stand up and love the amazing thing we call life.

“The most important thing I learned is that without good, caring people who will stop and offer emotional support for someone in a time of hurt or loss, the world would have many more terrible tragedies, suicides and desperate people. I am living proof of that.

“You can heal from trauma with treatments such as EMDR and with the caring help and support from others. You can be that lifesaving support for the brothers and sisters you serve with. You do not have to suffer endlessly.

“Post-traumatic stress injuries do not just go away with time unless you do something helpful to recover. Reach out, get help and find ways to regain your life. There was that time when I thought it impossible for life to get better. I love life and work now more than ever. So can you.”

Questions to enhance your survival

How familiar are you with the resources available to you through your agency, peer support, chaplain, EAP and community? Does your life partner know of these resources as well?

Talk with someone in your wellness unit or on your peer support team, or someone in a position to know, regarding all the resources available to you and your loved ones. Make a list of these resources and make a plan with your partner for how to use them when needed.

Conclusion

When an officer has hope, they have everything. Police agencies’ mechanisms for wellness and recovery, peer support teams, chaplains and caring support from managers and colleagues can provide that hope. There are effective ways to recover and heal from trauma if we, as leaders, help show the way.

Dan Willis

Dan Willis

Captain Dan Willis (ret.) served for 30 years with the La Mesa Police Department in California and now travels the country as an international instructor on police trauma and ways to heal. He is the author of the emotional survival and wellness guidebook Bulletproof Spirit: The First Responder’s Essential Resource for Protecting and Healing Mind and Heart, which is required reading at the FBI National Academy. Visit FirstResponderWellness.com for more information.

View articles by Dan Willis

As seen in the September 2022 issue of American Police Beat magazine.
Don’t miss out on another issue today! Click below:

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

Categories: Health/Wellness

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • Scott City police dispatchers use new technology to livestream emergency calls in real time
  • LAPD officers arrest man in Hollywood for criminal threats, prevent possible mass shooting
  • Iowa House proposes legislation to criminalize ransomware
  • Atlanta’s “Cop City” training center project approved despite activist opposition
  • Pig crosses path with law enforcement in Virginia
  • NYPD iconic police cruisers get high-tech makeover
  • Georgia officer pushes stranded woman’s car to gas station
  • Washington’s King County sets record for fentanyl overdose deaths in 2022; morgue running out of space for bodies
  • NYPD warns of police attacks after Apple AirTag device was found on marked patrol vehicle
  • South Dakota Police Department offers $5,000 hiring bonuses to boost recruiting and diversity

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com | (800) 234-0056.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Categories

  • Editor’s Picks
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Offbeat
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Events

Editor’s Picks

The power of teamwork

The power of teamwork

July 23, 2021

Stay awake and alert on the job

Stay awake and alert on the job

July 20, 2021

The worst rank in law enforcement

The worst rank in law enforcement

July 19, 2021

Firearms maintenance

Firearms maintenance

July 04, 2021

Privacy Policy | Copyright © 2023 APB Media, LLC | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close

Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.