Having had the honor of serving as a police chaplain some 20 years, 15 of those also as a law enforcement officer, I have watched closely the events recently in the news.
As I am writing I'm seeing the story on TV of the man who stormed a city council meeting in Kirkwood, Missouri. Two police officers were shot and killed. Just the other night I saw an incident where an officer was killed during a SWAT type operation. Just look at the Officer Down portion of this publication to see the numbers.
There are a number of incidents where there were multiple deaths at malls. It's hard to keep up with the school shootings. The list goes on and on. I haven't even touched on abduction and murder by sexual predators. As law enforcement officers and Chaplains what are we to do? How can we best protect our communities, our families, and ourselves? Where can we get the wisdom to deal with all this? To even cope psychologically?
There are Bible scriptures indicating how God honored those who asked for wisdom. Here is how it is stated in 2 Chronicles 1: 9-12. King David is speaking.
9 O LORD God, please continue to keep your promise to David my father, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth! 10 Give me the wisdom and knowledge to lead them properly, for who could possibly govern this great people of yours?”
11 God said to Solomon, "Because your greatest desire is to help your people, and you did not ask for wealth, riches, fame, or even the death of your enemies or a long life, but rather you asked for wisdom and knowledge to properly govern my people—12 I will certainly give you the wisdom and knowledge you requested."
I think it is clear God gives wisdom and knowledge... if we ask.
There is another scripture of great interest. This is a different treatment of the scripture than normally used.
John 8: 32- and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.
My point is, as officers and Chaplains we must ask for wisdom and knowledge and we must know the truth. God has invested in man the ability to draw on His wisdom and knowledge to write books, articles, and results of research for others to draw from.
In most cases where these shootings have occurred there were indicators from the actors of trouble ahead. They may have not been identified because of lack of knowledge. Look at Hosea 4:6 - My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Wow! Many of these killers either had a mental illness, likely personality disorder, or both. If we don't have the knowledge, we can't see it. And if we can't see it, we can't teach it to the community.
In law enforcement we promote safety; we talk about crime prevention. We have neighborhood groups and speak to PTAs. But are we educating people in our community about the signs and symptoms of these devastating illnesses and poorly formed coping skills?
In my community in Texas, alliances have been formed between law enforcement and the Mental Health Mental Retardation Center. There have been meetings, forums, and numerous discussions. The truth is mental illness can be treated, with varying degrees of success. And those with personality disorders can, with lots of effort, have symptoms treated and be exposed to some of the talk therapies. It may help; it may not.
We want to especially become aware of those people with anti-social personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, and mental illness of bi-polar disorder and schizophrenia. Most mental illness can be treated with medication. However the side effects are often hard to handle. It's often a struggle to get people to stay on their prescribed medication(s).
To be clear, I am a mental health advocate. In Texas I'm certified as a Mental Health Officer. I also understand personality disorders are apt to be formed early in life to try to cope with various issues. I personally am involved on boards and groups that advocate for those with mental illness.
We as law officers and chaplains must become familiar ourselves with these maladies. We should be great advocates that citizens be informed about them. Just as much as we teach people about busy intersections, they need to know about other safety issues. Fact is there will be criticism about how police inform a community about mental illness and personality disorders. That is where networking and alliances with mental health groups come in
Are all those with mental illness and/or personality disorders dangerous? Of course not. Will be be stereotyping those with these illnesses and disorders? Perhaps. But we must somehow educate and inform citizens, schools, businesses, courts, and anyone else who will listen about these issues.
Our prayer must be Lord give us wisdom to deal with these issues and to inform our community while treating those with illnesses with dignity. We must avail ourselves of the books in print, especially the DSM-IVtr to learn about these matters.
Someone said knowledge is power. People fear that which they don't understand. If we learn and teach others, then hopefully it will demystify these illnesses and disorders, and then the issues can be more clearly addressed. You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. We have a responsibility to learn and to speak out. Will there be opposition? Yes. But someone has to do it.An area news paper uses this slogan. It seems to fit here. "Without offense to friend or foe we paint the world exactly as it goes."
Let's be careful out there.
