The police officer was wounded, but is expected to survive

Thank God for this addendum to a story that is played out nearly every day in the United States.  Maybe it’s reported this way to provide a bit of a “warm and fuzzy” close to a violent story. 

There’s way more to it, usually.  The officer doesn’t always get out of the hospital and walk away and get back after it (the job).  The mainstream media may do follow-up stories in those cases where the officer returns Lazarus-like (not from death itself) but from the brink of death.

In my part of the world, those follow-ups are usually celebrations of officers who have been shot in the head and by God’s grace survived, and learned to walk and talk again. Others who survived a shooting or a vehicle accident lived to tell the tale, but have become prisoners in their own bodies, paralyzed from the neck down, maybe from the waist down (if they’re lucky).

Most stories are not followed up on.  I have a good friend and young police brother who got shot in the back in 2009 and is now paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair.  This happened because he was a police officer doing his job.  The bad guy could have simply run away, but elected to pop up out of a dumpster and back-shoot this kid.

Oh, the department pinned medals on him and put him in his dress uniform and wheeled him around for photo ops.  The community rallied behind him and raised money for the young officer and his family.  The department controlled the money (whatever the actual figure was is not known) and it was doled out, as they deemed necessary.  He was promised, “He’ll have a job here, no matter what.”

But, at the end of the day, promises made are not always kept.  He now lives in another state, doing the best he can physically and mentally.  He is also in litigation with the body armor company who provided a product that failed to perform. 

Now, he’s on his own with his family, his attorney and a circle of friends pulling for him.  I don’t believe the city is rallying behind him in his lawsuit endeavors.  

On the morning he got shot, I was one of the first guys to arrive at the hospital to check on him.  He was awake and in good spirits, waiting for surgery.  Before I got to speak with him and his wife, I noticed a young lady in business attire, clipboard in hand, standing near his room.  I surmised she was a hospital employee.  I engaged her in a short conversation and learned that she was an investigator from the insurance company representing the city.  When I spoke with my friend and learned of the extent of his injuries, I told him and his wife that the woman with the clipboard was not their “friend.”  I told my young brother to stay tough and get better; that was the most important thing to do.  I spoke briefly with his wife and told her to have very little interaction with the insurance company representative.  I also told her to reach out to legal counsel as soon as she could, after the lifesaving surgery and her valiant husband was on the road to recovery.

At the end of the day, the city let him go.  They like to use the term “separation,” and that they did.  The litigation with the body armor company continues, and he still does not have a job there “no matter what.”  It’s cheaper to let us go than to help us.

Lots of cops get “that letter,” nobody from the police departments and cities want to talk about it.  I was the recipient of such a letter, but I talk about it.

What the media doesn’t talk about is that we, the police are way easier to replace than to repair.

The officer is expected to survive.  What does that mean? And survive at what level? How will they support their family, maybe with Worker’s Compensation?  Look into that. Do the math.  And don’t you dare believe that the department, the city, or their attorneys are looking out for the best interest of the officer and their family.  They are not.  They are protecting themselves and they want to keep their money.  Think I’m lying? It’s all about the money.

In today’s climate, every cop out there is one brick toss or frozen water bottle to the head away from getting “separated” from their department. One broken hand, injured back, one laser-blinded eye and you are done. PTSD, PTSI or TBI and you’re done.

And remember, when the cop bellies up to the bar at the Worker’s Comp meetings, the city attorney will be right in there, figuring out a way to fuck the cop over.  Pimps and whores, it’s what they are and what they do; they protect the city and their money while billing the city for their time and they make lots of money per hour.

Research how many departments write a check for a job well done to a cop whose gun hand got mangled in a gunfight, or suffered debilitating injuries in a car crash, or a TBI, or PTSD?  I’m pretty sure you won’t find any. If you do, I’d certainly like to hear about it!

Kirk Lawless is a 28 year, decorated, veteran police officer from the St Louis area. He’s a former SWAT operator, narcotics agent, homicide investigator, detective and Medal of Valor recipient. Off the job due to an up close and personal gunfight, he now concentrates on writing. He’s a patriotic warrior, artist, poet, actor, musician, and man of peace.

Contact : kirklawless@yahoo.com