Graduating Police Academy Class Issues a Call to Violence--CAUSE PTSD: Is This a National Trend?

Submitted by carol white on Wed, 12/26/2007 - 12:21

I hope one of our PTSD experts follows up this story. According to a Yahoo account, Police academy class slogan: Cause PTSD, this was the slogan of the class graduating from the Boise Idaho Police Academy. According to an Academy spokesman, the faculty were not aware of the slogan until it surfaced as the class motto.

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The whole thing is very upsetting

Submitted by susie dow on Wed, 12/26/2007 - 18:41.

It's wrong on so many levels...mocking PTSD, retribution, lack of compassion, promoting anger as an outlet, and it's ugly that an entire class of police thought it was an A-OK idea.

Either someone was not

Submitted by standingup on Wed, 12/26/2007 - 12:52.

paying attention, if the slogan made it into the program, or someone is not being 100% forthcoming. I would at least hope the powers that be are looking a little more closely at the class president given this:

Black said the class president was ex-military, and that the slogan "slipped in." He declined to identify the graduate. Black said future slogans would be vetted by academy leaders.

It might be something a bit worse

Submitted by carol white on Wed, 12/26/2007 - 14:21.

Yeah, now the school says not again. But what worries me is that vets come home with a lot of bad stuff giving them trouble from their time overseas and someone might just have the bright idea of saving some money on psychotherapy etc., and just turning them loose on the population. The message being, hey guys we know your fucked up but the way to get yourself straight is to turn your rage outward against the "bad guys." The argument would be taking off by the school of thought that said that depression was really rage turned inward on oneself. Granted that was more the Freudians than present day pill merchants (neither of home I personally agree with), but ...

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carol

But if I read the article correctly,

Submitted by standingup on Wed, 12/26/2007 - 19:27.

the slogan is chosen for the graduation program. It doesn't really suggest this is a part of the course work or any of the training prior to graduation. The vet who was also the president of this class that chose the slogan concerns me as do the 42 other members of the class.

I shouldn't assume but in this case will take the leap that the president has some strong leadership skills which might have helped in getting the full class to go along with the slogan. I am not sure there is enough to suggest that the staff had any part in this but would hope someone has referred the class president and any others in the class who might have some issues on for an evaluation or review before allowing any of them to actively work in law enforcement. This should be a warning signal and not ignored.