'It's been horrific:' Officers encouraged to reach out in wake of police killings

Tara Jeffrey

Local police service members are being encouraged to make mental health a top priority after four police officers were killed on duty in just over a month across Canada.

“I’ve never seen this — the past month in policing has been horrific,” Sarnia Police Chief Derek Davis said this week, as 35 of the service’s officers traveled to pay their respects at the funeral of Constables Morgan Russell, 54, and Devon Northrup, 33, of the South Simcoe Police Service. Both officers were fatally shot after responding to a disturbance call at a home on Oct. 11. Last month, Const. Andrew Hong of the Toronto Police Service was shot and killed while on a lunch break, and this week, Const. Shaelyn Yang was fatally stabbed while attending a homeless campsite in Burnaby, B.C.

“It’s horrible, because there isn’t a police officer out there who doesn’t think about, ‘it could have been me, or one of my colleagues,’” Davis said. “It obviously impacts a lot of wellbeing amongst our members.”

Brittany Veale, a registered social worker and founder of Frontline Counselling and Holistic Services, says the buildup of traumatic events over time, can be detrimental to frontline workers who don’t reach out for help.

“They see a lot of things in a day — some really horrible things, that most of the general population will never have to witness,” said Veale. “And just because they wear a uniform, doesn’t mean they are superhuman. They are human beings, with emotions and feelings, and lives outside of their job.”

In the wake of the recent law enforcement deaths, Veale, who operates out of Great Lakes Neurofeedback in Point Edward, is offering complimentary counselling sessions to local officers with Sarnia Police, Lambton OPP and their families.

It’s estimated that the average police officer will experience upwards of 800 traumatic events in their career, Veale noted, compared to most citizens who will only experience three or four in their lifetime.

“In one shift, you might get called to a baby that has died, and then to an armed robbery or domestic violence situation,” she said. “That’s going to weigh on somebody.

“There’s no shame in saying that you’re struggling. It’s OK not to be OK.”

Davis said the service also offers peer support teams on hand for officers to reach out to.

“We will do everything we can to ensure the safety of our officers — whether it’s training, whether its equipment…our board is very supportive to make sure we have the tools to do the job.

“But it’s an inherently dangerous profession; one that our officers choose to do, and they come in every day and they do it professionally.

“And it’s often a thankless job.”