Rural Crime: The politician speaks

Criminal Minds at Work is honoured to have Doug Schweitzer, Alberta’s Minister of Justice and Solicitor General, as a guest today. 

In the following op-ed, the Hon. Doug Schweitzer addresses concerns regarding Alberta's rural crime and law enforcement. As a victim of rural crime myself, I am interested in what he has to say.

With police often a good half-hour or more away from rural properties, criminals know that no matter the security system residents might have, they have plenty of time to take what they want and not get caught. This criminal boldness is fueling fear and anger in rural Albertans and potentially escalating property crimes to the level of violent crimes.

Let's see what the Minister has in mind:

Clearing the Air on Police Funding

The first duty of government is to protect the safety of law-abiding Albertans. After the NDP sat on their hands for four years as crime rates skyrocketed in many rural communities, Albertans gave the United Conservative Party a historic mandate to keep Albertans safe, secure and protected. 

Our government is committed to giving law enforcement the tools and resources necessary to ensure there is a sustainable reduction in crime and Albertans have confidence that their justice system will protect them, their loved ones and their property.

To ensure we have a law enforcement system that enhances public safety and emphasizes frontline policing, our government is fulfilling our campaign promise to review how police are funded in Alberta. The current model has resulted in a shortage of policing services. We’ve been listening to Albertans, municipalities and others and are asking for feedback on a number of models on how police should be funded. 

To be clear: our goal is more police services. If any new funding model that would collect funds from more municipalities is chosen, any funds collected would be reinvested in frontline policing and would lead to an overall increase in funding for police services in Alberta. It would lead to more police funding, not less.  Any assertion to the contrary is absolutely, one-hundred per cent false. And unlike the NDP’s carbon tax, this is not a cash grab.  

It is the height of hypocrisy for the NDP to profess concern for the safety of Albertans. Their failure to adequately fund law enforcement and criminal justice resulted in a revolving-door justice system where Albertans lost faith in the ability of government to protect them.

Rural Albertans deserve better. That’s why they elected a government that will ensure the justice system reflects the realities of rural Alberta. While the NDP ignored the needs of rural Albertans, we are listening.  While they talk, we are taking action. I have been conducting the most comprehensive consultation on rural crime and rural policing in Alberta’s history, traveling the province to hear from as many Albertans as possible to help ensure we have safer and more secure communities.

Ensuring Albertans feel – and are – safe and protected goes to the heart of who we are as a government. We want to make sure we fund law enforcement in a way that will enhance public safety for all Albertans and ensure we have more police in our communities.

Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

-        Doug Schweitzer, Minister of Justice and Solicitor General

Rural Crime: The politician speaks is brought to you by The BackTracker Series--rural crime in Alberta at its most violent best...

Accepting a PTSD diagnosis

Today, guest author Daphne Holmes, shares her knowledge about PTSD in law enforcement. Daphne writes for ArrestRecords.com and can be reached at daphneholmes9@gmail.com.

Recovering from Stress Disorders in Law Enforcement 

Stress disorders are commonly associated with individual traumatic events, which often occur in combat environments. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is seen when soldiers are witness to traumatic battlefield events, which leave them challenged to come to terms with their experiences.

The disorder continues to be explored as a combat condition; yielding answers for military men and women exposed to highly stressful environments. The same disorder is also seen among law enforcement personnel; a group of PTSD sufferers rising in numbers. PTSD is defined as an anxiety disorder resulting from a terrifying or traumatic event, where fear of harm is significant enough to carry lasting impacts for those experiencing the incident. PTSD also includes a component accounting for long-term exposure to particularly stressful conditions.

Law enforcement personnel frequently fit the profile for this type diagnosis. Severe emotional stress arising from years on the job creeps into daily life for peace officers succumbing to the disorder. Moving Forward Law enforcement personnel experiencing stress disorders show some of the same signs as others impacted by PTSD. Insomnia and lack of focus are key warning signs, especially when paired with recurring thoughts or nightmares about traumatic events or ongoing stress associated with police work. 
______________________

"When you can't forget the past"

The disorder manifests in social and occupational situations, taking its toll on careers as well as personal lives. Withdrawal, for example, is a common extension of PTSD. Sufferers tend to turn away from loved ones as well as losing interest in activities they once enjoyed. For fear of circumstances spiraling out of control, PTSD patients display tendencies to micro-manage life and fail to "stand down".

Operating in a state of constant alert causes physical and emotional distress over time - something all too familiar to peace officers working under heavy stress loads. Acceptance and Education Many PTSD patients share similar perceptions about the disorder. Initially, a PTSD diagnosis carries a negative stigma hard for some sufferers to reconcile with their roles as soldiers, police officers and emergency responders. Respected for their abilities to stand tall in the face of adversity, PTSD sufferers working in law enforcement carry the stigma of not being able to perform their job duties. Feeling "unfit" for service is a common by-product of PTSD, which actually gets in the way of managing the disorder.

Accepting a PTSD diagnosis is the first step toward resolving inner turmoil associated with the affliction. Education about the disorder and its impacts goes a long way helping law enforcement officers understand their own diagnosis, and assisting supporting personnel, who witness fellow officers grappling with the condition. Letting go of the stigma attached to PTSD is particularly important for law enforcement because the profession is based on trust and camaraderie among officers. Knowing they are not judged adversely by their departments or fellow personnel is an essential part of the healing process for officers recovering from stress disorders.

Turning the Corner Recovery is multi-faceted for PTSD sufferers, so each individual finds his or her own path to good health. Breaking down barriers of prejudice helps establish external support structures, but patients also use personal strategies to heal from within. Taking-on PTSD issues head-on moves recovery forward, but distractions furnish valuable paths to normalcy for law enforcement officers burdened with the disorder.

Hobbies, continuing education, and renewed focus on family dynamics are all used by peace officers to change their thinking about job-related stress. Exercise is another way to strengthen the internal mechanisms officers use to cope with PTSD adversity. Staying fit gives the body what it needs to overcome episodes of increased stress and to fortify officers' ability to process workplace anxiety.

Stress disorders are increasingly seen for the social and occupational tolls they take on law enforcement personnel. Peace officers exposed to stressful work environments are prone to PTSD, challenging them to move beyond limitations imposed by the disorder. Through internal and external support structures, law enforcement personnel release the stigma attached to PTSD and make strides toward recovery.

PTSD in Law Enforcement: FIREWALLS

I didn't set out to write a novel about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It's not as if I saw the recent spate of headlines and decided to show military and police organizations the proper way to deal with members with PTSD. No...it wasn't that.

In fact, I don't think the disorder was even mentioned by name in my new release FIREWALLS until the final few edits. In fact, the novel was written years ago--when PTSD was still a whisper.

I set out to write a novel about a young woman whose violent childhood has scarred her. About her struggle with the past, the pain of the past, her inability to embrace her future. I believed my story to be about young Cst. Katrina Randal who is struggling to fulfill her dream of following her deceased father's footsteps into a law-enforcement career...and failing miserably because she's totally focusing on her past.

The first three-quarters of FIREWALLS is about Katrina's inability to accept the help that's being offered. She is angry and hurting and wants to stay that way. It seems unfathonable to her that she should laugh, or love, or achieve success while her brutally-murdered friend lies rotting in his grave. She wants justice, wants to assauge her guilt, wants...she doesn't know what she wants but she does know that she doesn't want to let go of the pain.

My story was to show the importance of relationships in her healing--how without her friends and co-workers standing with her, beside her, patiently waiting for her to heal, beckoning her into a brighter future--how without them, she'd have succumbed to the darkness.

Yes, there was professional help, but as Katrina herself noted, her psychiatrist could not cry with her (or for her), could not wrap her in his arms, could not be there at night for her when the nightmares visited--all the things she needed from someone to get to the other side of her personal hell.

That's what FIREWALLS was about...until I started editing. "That's not credible," I thought to myself  as her boss, Sgt. Kindle, once more put up with her dangerous behaviour, once more forgave her insubordination. "She's armed. She has a badge. She can't be allowed to do things like that."

About then, however, the PTSD headlines began climbing up the news ladders. That's when lawsuits against the RCMP were launched, when military suicides gained ink, when people began speaking out. That's when I realized why Sgt. Kindle did what he did.

Yes, to some extent he was making up for the fact that it was him in charge of the police operation that saw Katrina and his undercover officer, Shrug, experienced their trauma. He likely felt a personal debt to his two officers that had sacrificed their sanity for his operation. He likely felt the Alberta Police Force owed them, too. But more than that.

He seemed to know that letting these two wounded officers keep the jobs that were so important to their dreams, to their confidence, to their sense of self, was vital to their recovery. He saw the potential greatness in Katrina and Shrug. He knew they could contribute to their communities in a big way, should they overcome their emotional turmoil. He knew that by him accepting their behaviours he'd get in trouble with his superiors...and the media, but he did so anyways...so that his officers could recover.

With that realization, I decided I needed to officially diagnose my characters with PTSD. I needed to splash the name of that disorder throughout the pages and onto the back cover, so my readers could better understand not only PTSD but the officers that were in its clutches. They needed to be aware that it was PTSD causing my characters to 'act out of character' and that their illness merited the leniency of Sgt. Kindle and merited their leniency, too. 

PTSD is easiest to treat immediately following the trauma, but that is not always possible, such as in cases of unreported child abuse or out on the battlefield, or during uncover operations. PTSD does not necessarily have as dramatic an origin as Katrina's and Shrug's--few of us will ever witness a gang slaying. And unlike Shrug and Katrina, many PTSD sufferers harbor no guilt or sense of responsibility for the horrors that life handed them. The diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder covers a vast array of circumstances, treatments vary, and individuals respond in their own ways to both the trauma and the treatment.

However, when a book club member told me she's been treated for PTSD and FIREWALLS was credible to her and enlightening, I realized my new release truly is more than just a story about an awesome crime-fighting lady with a painful past.

For more information about this novel check my press release.

FIREWALLS--special New Release limited-time price of $1.99. Paperback only $15.00. (Retail prices may vary.) Available in all popular eFormats from most online booksellers. Smashwords sells ebooks in a variety of formats--for your tablets, phones, eReaders and computers. Use Smashwords coupon code at check out to get the special price.

Click here to purchase or sample from Amazon eBook or paperback

Click here to purchase or sample from Smashwords eBook in various formats Use coupon code DP29T at check out to get for half-price.

"Packed with humanity, crafted with insight."

"Schuh has created a character worthy of being called a hero."

"A tale of comfort and hope that we, too, can slay our own dragons." 

"A gritty, fast paced thriller"

 FIREWALLS is Book III in the BackTracker Series. Book I THE TRAZ as well as THE TRAZ School Edition (with teaching guide)  are also on sale for a few more days for only 99₵ £0.77

Purchase THE TRAZ on Amazon 

Purchase THE TRAZ School Edition on Amazon

Purchase THE TRAZ on Smashwords  -  Use Code: UX54T at checkout to get for 99₵

 Purchase THE TRAZ School Edition on Smashwords Use Code: PK68Y to get for 99₵

viewBook.at/B007JW8RMA

Also available in paperback

Good Cops, Bad Cops

I didn’t have to look far in July to find intriguing crime headlines. Several local news stories (“local” as in Alberta, Canada) drew national and international attention. This month, my blog focuses on crime fighters, rather than criminals.

Please respect those involved in these headlines. Remember the accused are innocent until proven guilty and victims and their families may not find the crimes as entertaining as you and I might.

Even though it was not the most important news item, this witty headline captured my eye and held it—“Internal probe reveals naughty Mounties.” This CBC article by KATHLEEN HARRIS, Parliamentary Bureau starts off great, too: “OTTAWA -- From masturbating in a cruiser and surfing porn on the job to drunk driving and sexual assault, Mounties from all ranks have been busted for bad behaviour...”
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Politics/2010/07/18/14751266.html

Headlines that cast a pall over law enforcement or the justice system always catch my eye as I’ve had several professional readers complain that the cops, lawyers, and judges in my stories say, think, and do things that real ones would never say, think, or do. Headlines that prove even Canada’s world-famous Royal Canadian Mounted Police are as human as the rest of us, make me feel smug, self-righteous, and justified. (Because, I, too, am human!)

I respect all those in the law enforcement and legal professions and admire the great work they do. I know that both news headlines and fiction exploit the unusual to spark interest. Just as rain in Vancouver isn’t newsworthy, neither would the missteps and mistakes of members of the RCMP if it was a corrupt police force. It’s because we greatly admire the men and women in scarlet serge that their weaknesses fascinate us.

One of my favourite writing strategies is combining news stories to create a backdrop to my novels. This lends my stories a semblance of believability. If one were to combine the ‘naughty Mountie’ headline with another July headline, “Alberta man unarmed when shot by RCMP” http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2010/07/19/okotoks-calgary-shooting-.html#ixzz0uBSlcZnb we have the possibility of a great tale.

Of course the unarmed Alberta man allegedly made a great pretence of being armed and there is no indication that the officer who shot him was at all naughty, but the lovely thing about fiction is that one can ignore such facts and create excitement that rivals that of the truth. If it’s the truth that Mounties can get caught masturbating in their squad cars, it’s not too big a leap of faith to have a fictional cop shooting an unarmed rival who perhaps was after his woman or who had video evidence of him surfing porn sites...so something equally sordid.

A sad headline, but one that has many facets was: “Accused Mountie in deep depression Charged with second-degree murder in wife's death.” http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/07/12/edmonton-rcmp-constable-charged-court.html#ixzz0uBRpRSxf

The fact that the Mountie and the victim were immigrants from India, tinges the crime with the issue of culture shock and the stress it puts on relationships. Some neighbours reported seeing the victim assaulting her husband in the past--an interesting twist to domestic violence. Mental health issues often play a role in crime. Although it is usually schizophrenia that peaks reporters’ and novelists’ interest, in real life, depression has toppled many more a fine man—and woman.

Most Albertans would agree that most intriguing story in July was the case of the missing elderly couple, the discovery of their burnt out motorhome, and the search for the SUV they’d been towing. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/07/19/vader-mccann-arrrest.html#ixzz0uBQefMMs

Adding to the mystery is the reluctance of the police to discuss the case, which is normal while they’re investigating. However, the tidbits of info they did release in order to enlist the media and public help in locating the couple, sent active imaginations, racing. It won’t be until the investigation is concluded or (if police make arrests in connection with the case) until the evidence is unveiled in court that we will know what happened.

Meanwhile, the police are unwilling to defend themselves against accusation that the investigation was botched from the beginning. Reportedly the burned-out motorhome scene wasn’t investigated thoroughly until the family reported the couple missing—several days after the motorhome had been found. It’s also alleged that police initially dismissed witnesses who reported sighting the missing SUV across the provincial border in Prince George, B.C.

The way the investigation is being handled has sparked almost as much public interest as the mystery itself—an angle that I like. The main characters in my crime novels are not the criminals but law enforcement officials. The criminal mind, as fascinating as it is*, still plays second fiddle to the men and women who can outwit it.

I try to imbue my novels with social comment, giving them some value aside from pure entertainment. Inspired by these July news headlines, crime writers could weave into their plots information on culture shock, domestic violence, depression, the aftermath of a wrong split-second life-and-death decision, investigative errors, and the value of hindsight. We could also reveal to our readers some basic human behaviours which transcend career choices and uniforms.

Stories that explore such issues enable readers to better understand and empathize with people affected by them. In the past, such enlightenment has been known to inspire positive societal changes. In addition, well-written fiction has always served to strengthen readers who find themselves facing challenges similar to those faced by their literary heroes and heroines.

Until next month, may Crime be on your side.
__________________________________________

*If the criminal mind fascinates you, I invite you to read my website articles, “I met a man with empty eyes” http://www.eileenschuh.com/i-met-a-man-with-empty-eyes/ and “Empty eyes, empty heart”
http://www.eileenschuh.com/empty-eyes-empty-heart/

Eileen Schuh is the author of “Schrödinger’s Cat” a novella to be released by Wolfsinger Publications in 2011. Agent and publishing rights are available for her Back Tracker series of crime novels, the parallel novel, “Noraebang” and her adolescent crime novel, “Aerdrie”. More information about her published and unpublished work is on her website. http://www.eileenschuh.com