SINCE WHEN DID THE COPS BECOME DOCTORS?

By Trey Rusk

Running Code 3
December 10, 2017

Five Dallas Police Officers were recently indicted for Deadly Conduct. It seems that they were called to a scene by security on a person with a history of mental illness due to anxiety and schizophrenia. His behavior was erratic. The subject allegedly became combative and had to be restrained. The autopsy showed cardiac arrest due to toxic effects of cocaine and coupled with the stress of physical arrest. The ME ruled the death a homicide.

What did the cops do wrong? They had to restrain someone who was combative, on drugs and mentally ill. This is a deadly combination for police officers. Almost as bad as a domestic disturbance call or a 911 hang up. The body cams recorded cops laughing on the scene and in my opinion this may be why the cops were indicted.

Most people cannot fathom what cops see on a regular basis. Untreated PTSD is rampant among their ranks and one of the ways cops cope with it is through humor. There is also a macho factor involved. You have to get tough fast. I was once on the scene of a fatal car crash when a rookie walked up and tripped. He looked down and saw he had stepped on a severed foot. He threw up instantly and all of the cops at the scene laughed at him. The sergeant told him to place the foot in a bag. He vomited again. The sergeant laughed and told him to get the hell off the crash scene.

I'm not saying cops shouldn't know life saving first aid such as applying a tourniquet or stemming blood flow by pressure or even CPR. They should be able to perform basic first aid.

Are cops doctors? No. Are they expected to be? Yes.

With the opium addiction outbreak on the upper East Coast and Midwest cops are having to administer Naloxone in an effort to save lives due to overdoses. How do we allow cops to practice medicine without a license?

However, since society expects cops to treat mentally ill persons, maybe they should issue Thorazine in something like an epipen or a tranquilizer gun.

Society has placed too many burdens on police officers and the Thin Blue Line is fraying.