Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: JULY 2016 3 Order your own MONTHLY subscription today. Call 1-800-234-0056 or go to www.APBweb.com American Police Beat (ISSN 1082-653X; USPS #24948), also hereafter referred to as “APB,” is published twelve times a year for $12 per year, $20 for two years or $26 for three years. APB is published by First Strike Media, LLC, 505 8th Avenue, Ste 1004, New York, NY 10018. Periodicals Postage Paid at New York, NY and Additional Mailing Offices. Telephone: 800-234-0056. Subscriptions: info@apbweb.com. Website: www.apbweb.com. POSTMASTER: send address changes to American Police Beat, 505 8th Avenue, Ste 1004, New York, NY 10018. A ccording to NBC News, about 1,200 first responders in Colorado suf- fer from post-traumatic stress. Seven officers in the state took their own lives in 2015. But the state legislature has failed, for the second year running, to pass any bills that would help with treatment. So in Colorado, and else- where, police are fighting PTSD on their own. Law enforcement per- sonnel respond to disaster scenes, mass murders and child abuse. First responders see it all and sometimes it’s too much to bear. “This is tough work and it can take a toll and when those people need help, somebody needs to step up and help them,” Frank Gale, with the Fraternal Order of Police, told CBS4 Political Specialist Shaun Boyd. The problem, at least in Colorado, is that PTSD is not covered under workers’ compensation laws. In addition to the difficul- ties of getting a good diag- nosis, getting the condition covered in terms of health insurance is the main issue. Rep. Jonathan Singer, D-Longmont told fellow lawmakers the time to act was yesterday. “We have a job to protect our protectors. When our cops, when our EMTs, when our firefighters face trauma on the job we should do everything we can,” Singer said. “All my bill did is it said that you should never be discriminated against because of your job.” But the insurance lobby is bigger, stronger and wealth- ier than the police lobby. The insurance lobby is fight- ing to keep from having to cover first responders with PTSD. “The fact that our legis- lature can’t get it together just gives me more fire in my belly to come back next year with something better,” Singer said. President Obama addresses the 13 Medal of Valor winners in the Oval Office during Police Week in May. No help for PTSD Man’s Drunken Playdate With Bear Didn’t End Well, Cops Say RANDOM HEADLINE: