Police Trauma

A murder-suicide shocks a local community,but local police may be the most horrified by the tragedy. Late Friday night, at a home in Columbus, Kansas, 38-year old russell graham fatally shot his 8-year-old son and then turned the gun on himself. For some officers responding to a similar tragedy and witnessing the aftermath may have been more than they could handle. But law enforcement agencies have ways to make sure their officers aren`t permanently damaged by what they see. Cherokee County Sheriff Bob Creech of says the first step is to identify an officer who`s having a problem. He says each case they work is different and unique and it`s difficult to predict which officer will be hit hard by a particular scene. That`s why it`s Cherokee County policy to have officer and supervisiors watching out for each other. "Typically officers are talkative or ope and they`ll with draw and taht`s one of the most obvious signs we see when officers are having trouble dealing with a traumatic case that they`ve had to work,"said Sheriff Bob Creech,Cherokee County. Sheriff Creech says at the end of each investigation all the officers involved are debriefed by both supervisors and trained counselors. If it is determined that an officer is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. The Cherokee County Sheriff`s Department will make the officer continue counseling. Reported By: Jennifer Grannan