Standoffs with veterans should not happen

UPDATE Add this to the rest

Iraq War vet suffering from PTSD arrested in Troutdale shooting, police say
The Oregonian
By Lynne Terry
February 28, 2014


Troutdale police have arrested an Iraq War vet who shot himself in the foot early Friday.

They said the incident happened about 6:20 a.m. at a residence in the 1400 block of Southeast Chapman Street. They said Derick Morgan, 30, a vet suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, whipped out a gun in front of his wife and pointed it at his head, threatening to shoot himself.
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Standoffs with veterans should not happen
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
February 27, 2014

In South Carolina a police officer shot a Vietnam veteran after a traffic stop. Why? He was reaching for his cane. He's disabled. In San Diego another Vietnam veteran, reportedly suicidal, was shot and killed. In Pennsylvania a SWAT standoff with another veteran ended differently. The veteran was taken into custody.

What makes all of these stories worse is they all happened this week.

Earlier in February in San Diego: A retired Navy petty officer who was shot by a San Diego policeman after raising a military assault rifle in his direction was sentenced Tuesday to probation and ordered to continue counseling and treatment for mental health issues, including a form of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. A report about a Marine in Chicago, a veteran had his "final firefight was on his suburban street 30 miles (48 km) southwest of Chicago, and the enemy was local police. When it ended, he'd traded 17 years in uniform for 16 years behind bars."

Last month a Gulf War veteran was taken into custody in Corpus Christi. In December a Kentucky National Guardsman was arrested and charged in January.

As police increasingly face off with veterans from many different wars, it is clear that these situations should have never happened.

Police officers face split second decisions facing off with veterans in crisis. While some do end peacefully the outcome is never cut and dry. In one state, the veteran is taken to the VA for help but in other states they are put on trial, if they are not killed during the standoff.

Last week I was speaking to a police officer asking him some questions about what they do in situations like the above. He told me they are trained and retrained to know when to call in Crisis Teams. They are training on new tactical weapons that will not kill the veteran.

A veteran in that much of a crisis situation should never happen but as there seem to be more and more, there needs to be a country wide approach to help the police officers take care of the veterans as well as protect other officers and the public until this country does what they need to do to take care of all veterans!