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.
Sorry to hear that you are involved in one of the hardest aspects of police work. That is the unintended conclusion of a career due to accidental injury or occupational illness. We are never prepared for this yet, we know the chances of it happening are very real. The financial, medical and legal maelstrom that most, if not all, injured officers enter is a harsh and sometimes brutal reality, but the hardest aspect for many disabled officers is the abandonment. Be advised that you will be abandoned by your peers and community. Your family will not understand. How could they. If your union stands behind you, you're an exception.
Before the American Police Veterans was started you would have to go through the process alone. American Police Veterans is a peer advocacy and support network that began a few months ago. We have about 100 members and many of them are disabled. A few are in or entering the retirement process. Many have made it out on disability retirement and are now addressing other problems. Mobility and education and future of our children become major obstacles. A few members got out of the job in one piece. At the very least you don't have to be alone during the process. Some of us are sharing our stories in Beyond the Shield The Journal of the American Police Veterans and privately in the American Police Veteran's Forum and or The Police Vet's Group at Yahoo. Both of these can be accessed from ttp://www.BeyondTheShield.Org.
Membership in the American Police Veterans is currently free. We are in the process of becoming a non profit organization. In the future we will have to explore the implementation of paid and unpaid memberships. I've just gained organizational access to a secure law enforcement communications network to allow members greater privacy and communications options.
As for our organizational structure, it is my hope that APV will be member oriented and member driven. I encourage everyone affiliated with APV to take a management position in growing the organization. If APV isn't meeting your needs you need to be an advocate. At the very least PARTICIPATE. If you do, you and every member will benefit. Recruit others, be active, don't look for problems, find solutions!
