This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/28/us/orlando-shooting-police.html
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Orlando Officers Grapple With Trauma and Red Tape After Massacre | Orlando Officers Grapple With Trauma and Red Tape After Massacre |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| ORLANDO, Fla. — The sound of a ringing iPhone makes Omar Delgado sweat and freeze in place. His heart pounds. He closes his eyes to fight back the ghastly images that no one should ever have to see. | ORLANDO, Fla. — The sound of a ringing iPhone makes Omar Delgado sweat and freeze in place. His heart pounds. He closes his eyes to fight back the ghastly images that no one should ever have to see. |
| He hears the marimba-like tone and he is back at the Pulse nightclub on June 12 as a police officer pinned down in an hourslong standoff surrounded by dead bodies, their phones ringing again and again with calls that would never be answered. | |
| “I literally felt like I was standing there at the club, my feet hurting, my arm hurting from holding my weapon,” Officer Delgado recalled, thinking of the times just after the slaughter when the phone rang and the panic came back. | “I literally felt like I was standing there at the club, my feet hurting, my arm hurting from holding my weapon,” Officer Delgado recalled, thinking of the times just after the slaughter when the phone rang and the panic came back. |
| It has been more than four months since a security guard named Omar Mateen gunned down 49 people at the gay club in Orlando. Officer Delgado, 44, who works in nearby Eatonville, was on the job briefly over the July 4 weekend but suffered a flashback on duty and has not been on patrol since. He has spent the past few months getting treated for nightmares and depression while managing red tape and cuts in his take-home pay because he no longer earns overtime. | |
| There is no way to measure the trauma and grief that victims of horrific mass shootings like the one in Orlando must live with. But while compensation programs can help victims find their way back, it is often much less clear what help is available for the people who are the first to respond, like Officer Delgado. | |
| In Connecticut, a state board ordered the town of Newtown to pay disability to an officer traumatized by the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting. A special fund was created in Connecticut to cover such costs. Other efforts to force workers’ compensation to cover post-traumatic stress disorder have failed in states including North Dakota, Ohio and South Carolina. In Florida, workers’ compensation does not cover lost wages for police officers suffering from PTSD. | In Connecticut, a state board ordered the town of Newtown to pay disability to an officer traumatized by the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting. A special fund was created in Connecticut to cover such costs. Other efforts to force workers’ compensation to cover post-traumatic stress disorder have failed in states including North Dakota, Ohio and South Carolina. In Florida, workers’ compensation does not cover lost wages for police officers suffering from PTSD. |
| Although the officers who responded to the shooting at Pulse are now being paid their base salaries, two of them described weekslong bureaucratic struggles to get assistance, as well as efforts to patch together resources to get better and allow them to go back to work. They hope that attention to the difficulty they initially faced will help shine a spotlight on an issue that has dogged state legislatures for years. | Although the officers who responded to the shooting at Pulse are now being paid their base salaries, two of them described weekslong bureaucratic struggles to get assistance, as well as efforts to patch together resources to get better and allow them to go back to work. They hope that attention to the difficulty they initially faced will help shine a spotlight on an issue that has dogged state legislatures for years. |
| Desperate to pay for therapy and at one point facing the prospect of going broke, Officer Delgado and a member of the Orlando police who was at Pulse, Gerry Realin, resorted to GoFundMe accounts and tried unsuccessfully to apply for help from the OneOrlando Fund, which distributed $29.5 million to Pulse victims. | |
| Officer Realin, who has not been on the job since June 28, said he first forced himself to work because he was afraid of running out of paid time off. | Officer Realin, who has not been on the job since June 28, said he first forced himself to work because he was afraid of running out of paid time off. |
| “Not knowing if my kids are going to have health insurance or we’re going to get a paycheck to pay the bills, just not knowing the financial future is a real stress,” Officer Realin said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen. Nothing is resolved.” | “Not knowing if my kids are going to have health insurance or we’re going to get a paycheck to pay the bills, just not knowing the financial future is a real stress,” Officer Realin said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen. Nothing is resolved.” |
| As a member of the Orlando Police Department’s hazardous materials team, Officer Realin, 36, spent four hours inside Pulse identifying and tallying the dead. For him, everything from Sharpies to face masks to San Francisco 49ers jerseys set off his panic. Sharpies because of the markers the authorities used to put the names of the victims on a board. Masks for the one he wore that day to keep blood off his face. Forty-nine for the number of people who were killed. | As a member of the Orlando Police Department’s hazardous materials team, Officer Realin, 36, spent four hours inside Pulse identifying and tallying the dead. For him, everything from Sharpies to face masks to San Francisco 49ers jerseys set off his panic. Sharpies because of the markers the authorities used to put the names of the victims on a board. Masks for the one he wore that day to keep blood off his face. Forty-nine for the number of people who were killed. |
| “The man who went to Pulse that day is not the same one who came home,” his wife, Jessica Realin, said. “He shuts down, turns a different color; his breathing changes.” | “The man who went to Pulse that day is not the same one who came home,” his wife, Jessica Realin, said. “He shuts down, turns a different color; his breathing changes.” |
| She said he sometimes wakes up screaming from night terrors. | She said he sometimes wakes up screaming from night terrors. |
| “He’d wake up grabbing my wrist to the point I thought he was going to snap it, because he would grip it so tight,” Mrs. Realin said. “At first he was still going to work like that. I kept saying, ‘Are you sure you can go to work?’ ” | “He’d wake up grabbing my wrist to the point I thought he was going to snap it, because he would grip it so tight,” Mrs. Realin said. “At first he was still going to work like that. I kept saying, ‘Are you sure you can go to work?’ ” |
| At first, Officer Realin said he was denied workers’ compensation, which put a strain on his family of four. He ran out of sick time, and his paycheck plunged, so he took out a loan from his retirement fund. He was eventually told he had hypertension, which is covered by workers’ compensation, so for now he is being paid his base salary — about $600 a month less than normal, because he is not doing overtime shifts. | At first, Officer Realin said he was denied workers’ compensation, which put a strain on his family of four. He ran out of sick time, and his paycheck plunged, so he took out a loan from his retirement fund. He was eventually told he had hypertension, which is covered by workers’ compensation, so for now he is being paid his base salary — about $600 a month less than normal, because he is not doing overtime shifts. |
| At one point, the city threatened to dismiss him if he did not show up for a meeting. After The New York Times began inquiring about his case, he was reimbursed the sick days and vacation time he had used, Mrs. Realin said. | At one point, the city threatened to dismiss him if he did not show up for a meeting. After The New York Times began inquiring about his case, he was reimbursed the sick days and vacation time he had used, Mrs. Realin said. |
| “We are in a situation where our safety net is literally at the benevolence of the city,” she said. | “We are in a situation where our safety net is literally at the benevolence of the city,” she said. |
| Together with their lawyer, Geoff Bichler, they are lobbying state legislators to change Florida law so that officers and firefighters with PTSD can get their salaries paid. | Together with their lawyer, Geoff Bichler, they are lobbying state legislators to change Florida law so that officers and firefighters with PTSD can get their salaries paid. |
| Mr. Bichler said his clients include a sheriff’s deputy whose partner was killed on duty and a firefighter who responded to a traffic fatality, only to find that the victim was his brother. While many states provide workers’ compensation for PTSD, others have resisted because the financial burden on municipalities could be huge. | Mr. Bichler said his clients include a sheriff’s deputy whose partner was killed on duty and a firefighter who responded to a traffic fatality, only to find that the victim was his brother. While many states provide workers’ compensation for PTSD, others have resisted because the financial burden on municipalities could be huge. |
| Orlando’s deputy police chief, Orlando Rolon, emphasized that Officer Realin’s salary was being paid and that his medical needs were being met. He noted that the city was even covering the co-pay for any employees who needed therapy beyond what is provided for free. | Orlando’s deputy police chief, Orlando Rolon, emphasized that Officer Realin’s salary was being paid and that his medical needs were being met. He noted that the city was even covering the co-pay for any employees who needed therapy beyond what is provided for free. |
| “Anyone who has requested any type of assistance during this process has received unconditional assistance from the city of Orlando and the Orlando Police Department,” Chief Rolon said. | “Anyone who has requested any type of assistance during this process has received unconditional assistance from the city of Orlando and the Orlando Police Department,” Chief Rolon said. |
| One Orlando officer cited the Pulse attack as a factor in his decision to quit the police department and return home to Indiana, city records show. A dispatcher who took the gunman’s call sought a transfer, Chief Rolon said. The officer who was working at Pulse that night and was involved in the gunfight with Mr. Mateen did not return to work for six weeks. | One Orlando officer cited the Pulse attack as a factor in his decision to quit the police department and return home to Indiana, city records show. A dispatcher who took the gunman’s call sought a transfer, Chief Rolon said. The officer who was working at Pulse that night and was involved in the gunfight with Mr. Mateen did not return to work for six weeks. |
| Officer Delgado was one of the first to arrive at Pulse and spent hours inside while the gunman held hostages in the bathroom and occasionally fired at clubgoers. When he tried to return to work over the Independence Day weekend, he had his gun in his hand while chasing a suspect when he heard a loud noise. It brought Officer Delgado back to the explosions at Pulse, when the police broke through the club’s rear wall and then blew up the gunman’s van. | Officer Delgado was one of the first to arrive at Pulse and spent hours inside while the gunman held hostages in the bathroom and occasionally fired at clubgoers. When he tried to return to work over the Independence Day weekend, he had his gun in his hand while chasing a suspect when he heard a loud noise. It brought Officer Delgado back to the explosions at Pulse, when the police broke through the club’s rear wall and then blew up the gunman’s van. |
| “If my finger had been on the trigger, I would have shot my foot off,” he said. | “If my finger had been on the trigger, I would have shot my foot off,” he said. |
| Officer Delgado used sick days and a friend’s generosity to cover $80 therapy sessions. His bosses eventually sent him to a free PTSD clinic at the University of Central Florida, agreeing to pay his salary while there. He is short about $1,000 a month because he is not working overtime shifts. | Officer Delgado used sick days and a friend’s generosity to cover $80 therapy sessions. His bosses eventually sent him to a free PTSD clinic at the University of Central Florida, agreeing to pay his salary while there. He is short about $1,000 a month because he is not working overtime shifts. |
| His Jeep was towed over the summer, and he did not have the required $250 to get it back. The bill has climbed to more than $1,500 for towing and storage. | His Jeep was towed over the summer, and he did not have the required $250 to get it back. The bill has climbed to more than $1,500 for towing and storage. |
| “I still have some sick time left and some vacation time left,” Officer Delgado said. “If I have to use that, so be it, but there’s going to come a point in time that that is going to stop.” | “I still have some sick time left and some vacation time left,” Officer Delgado said. “If I have to use that, so be it, but there’s going to come a point in time that that is going to stop.” |
| Officer Delgado, who is separated, has three children; the Realins have two. | Officer Delgado, who is separated, has three children; the Realins have two. |
| The chief of Officer Delgado’s department, Joseph Jenkins, referred questions about the matter to the city’s human resources officer, Cathleen Williams. She said, “Mr. Delgado will continue to receive his salary from the town,” but declined to comment further. | The chief of Officer Delgado’s department, Joseph Jenkins, referred questions about the matter to the city’s human resources officer, Cathleen Williams. She said, “Mr. Delgado will continue to receive his salary from the town,” but declined to comment further. |
| Both officers applied for help from the OneOrlando Fund but were denied because they were outside the club when the shooting began. Running in and staying for hours did not meet the criteria, said Kenneth R. Feinberg, the administrator of the fund. | Both officers applied for help from the OneOrlando Fund but were denied because they were outside the club when the shooting began. Running in and staying for hours did not meet the criteria, said Kenneth R. Feinberg, the administrator of the fund. |
| Those who were inside the club when the shooting started received $25,000 from the fund, even if they were not among the hostages or the wounded. Had the fund included the rush of police officers, firefighters and paramedics who were among the first to respond to the scene, it would have had to add a few dozen more people to split a finite amount of money, diminishing its impact, Mr. Feinberg said. | Those who were inside the club when the shooting started received $25,000 from the fund, even if they were not among the hostages or the wounded. Had the fund included the rush of police officers, firefighters and paramedics who were among the first to respond to the scene, it would have had to add a few dozen more people to split a finite amount of money, diminishing its impact, Mr. Feinberg said. |
| “There is simply no way we can satisfy the legitimate credible claims of everybody who might file,” he said. “It is what I call ‘rough justice.’ ” | “There is simply no way we can satisfy the legitimate credible claims of everybody who might file,” he said. “It is what I call ‘rough justice.’ ” |