These are the stories of the American Police Veterans.
America made a promise to take care of those that have protected America. That promise wasn't broken. It was empty words. Some of those words were turned into laws, where they were ignored. America Thinks that retired and disabled law enforcement officers are living large at the expense of the taxpayer. Read their stories. Then decide for yourself. Who is paying the ultimate price for safe American communities.
Cincinnati, Ohio - In 1990, an Ohio police officer suffered a heart attack in his police cruiser. Later it would be followed by continuous strokes, medically called:Transient Ischemic Attacks or mini strokes.
First, it was a matter of adjusting to the lingering effects of the stroke but later only produced more strokes.
In the mid 1990's he began falling and in 1999, his Physician prescribed him a Service Dog, later named Lieutenant. A dog trained locally in the State of Ohio's prisons to assist people with disabilities.
Unfortunately, the falls and strokes continued and he was then prescribed an electric wheel chair. As his health continued to decline, he was prescribed oxygen, which later proved invaluable because he was unknowingly living with Lung Disease. Now with the aid of a Personal Care Attendant, he has to fight to convince "everyone" that he is disabled.
Remember the Service Dog, which by the way is a Yellow Lab that resembles Old Yeller. Where ever he goes, his Service Dog goes. A privilege allowed under the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 and punishable under Ohio State Criminal Law if they are interfered with, not!
From being threatened to be shot with a shotgun at a Cincinnati Wal-Mart, to being escorted out of Middletown Regional Hospital Emergency Room by the police, this wonderfully friendly canine and this decorated police officer and U. S. Army disabled Vet gets treated worse than Humane Shelters allow animals to be treated.
From 1999 to present, there isn't a business (over 200) that you can think of that hasn't grabbed him, cursed at him or humiliated him by having him thrown out under police escort.
You would even think as the sole parent to a teenage daughter that was raped, the medical staff in a hospital wouldn't dare interfere with his support of his daughter because of his Service Dog, wrong again. Childrens Hospital in Cincinnati was just (1) of the (5) Greater Cincinnati hospitals that the U. S. Department of Health & Human Services - Office of Civil Rights had to correct just so he could receive medical care.
Then when his health bottomed out in the Fall of 2003, an Attending Emergency Room Physician Ordered him into a local Nursing Home in Morrow, Ohio: Pine Crest. Again but not surprising, they too refused to allow him to enter. The owners words to the staff: "my nursing home is not a Kennel".
Alone, confused and in a medical crisis, his only thought was to take his self and his dog to a nearby Electrical Station, break in and walk over to the massive generators and grab hold. Fortunately, the one thing that stopped him was that he didn't want to hurt Lieutenant.
Now, after (7) years of hell, the State of Ohio Attorney Generals Office and Ohio Civil Rights Commission is prosecuting Pine Crest Nursing Home. The court date is scheduled for May but he isn't holding out much hope.
He has been to court in the neighboring Butler County, Ohio over the Service Dog Law and the Judge threw his case out twice because it felt it was stupid.
Isn't it strange, a dog can bite a neighbor and the home owner can be sued for thousands of dollars. A person can abuse their dog and face criminal charges and time in prison.
...but serve our Country, serve our community by being a police officer in (5) separate communities and a fire fighter in (3) others, become disabled and he is not worth the stuff we have to put in doggie bags after our dogs relieves themselves.
