NYPD officer asked for help with PTSD, has to sue to make sure others get it?

NYPD veteran shunned over mental health issues to sue NYPD for $1M

New York Post
By Craig McCarthy
December 22, 2019

“The NYPD has repeatedly shown an ineptitude in dealing with the mental health of their police officers,” Oliveras’ lawyer, John Scola, told The Post. “We hope that this lawsuit will help shed light on those deficiencies and prevent other police officers from having to suffer in the same way as Jonathan.”

A cop who says the NYPD ostracized him for coming forward with mental health issues amid this year’s police-suicide epidemic now plans to sue for $1 million, The Post has learned.

Jonathan Oliveras
Stephen Yang

Twelve-year-veteran officer Jonathan Oliveras exclusively revealed to The Post in October that the brass stripped him of his gun — and bounced him around assignments before stationing him in a post with department screw-ups — after he admitted to NYPD doctors he was on anti-depressants.

His tale of woes even triggered an apology from former top cop James O’Neill and promised to make sure no one else was put through a similar experience.

But that same day, internal affairs showed up at Oliveras’ post to confront his bosses in an apparent effort to jam him up, he previously told The Post.

Now, eight weeks later, the NYPD has yet to reach out to the 40-year-old cop to try and make things right, he says.
read it here

O'Reilly rants on shoeless homeless veteran being on "government assistance"

Bill O'Reilly has a history of slamming homeless veterans so it should come as no surprise that he came out against the officer helping Shoeless man in viral photo was homeless veteran because after all, Hillman is on government assistance that "you and me" pay for. Hey, must be easy to want to attack the down and out, mentally ill kicked to the streets when the mental hospitals closed down and the economy turned so sour that every charity is struggling to take care of more and more of them.

He is right and Hillman is on government assistance but then again, as a veteran, he assisted the government first.

O'Reilly Exploits Story Of Formerly Homeless Veteran To Call For Spending Cuts
December 7, 2012
TODD GREGORY

Bill O'Reilly seized on the story of a shoeless man who was helped by a New York City police officer to call for cuts to government programs that help the poor.

O'Reilly opened his Thursday show by recounting an incident in November in which Officer Lawrence DePrimo bought a pair of boots for Jeffrey Hillman, a man in Times Square who had bare feet. A tourist took a picture of the DePrimo giving the boots to Hillman, and the image was widely circulated on the Internet.

While Hillman was initially said to be homeless, it has since been reported that he has an apartment. O'Reilly presented this fact as if it were a devastating revelation -- "here's the sad truth," he said before informing his viewers that Hillman has a home. O'Reilly also claimed that Hillman "has enough resources to live his life in a dignified manner."

What O'Reilly did not tell his viewers is that Hillman was homeless prior to last year. Nor did O'Reilly mention that Hillman uses veterans benefits to help keep his apartment.

NBC New York reported, "Hillman used to be homeless, but entered shelter in 2009 before moving into an apartment secured by Veterans Affairs in 2011, city officials said. He pays his rent using a lifetime voucher for homeless veterans and his Social Security income."
read more here

As I said this is nothing new for O'Reilly. He's been on record going back to 2008 on this blog alone for talking trash about veterans after they were no longer of use in his mind.

O'Reilly's stance on homeless vets poses questions has a rather lengthy rant of my own following something else I read about this.

O'Reilly hasn't learned much since 2008. Looking back on some of my old posts makes me more angry that people still watch O'Reilly and believe him. How many times has he "gotten things wrong" or outright lied?

Here's another one.

O'Reilly now denies veterans are homeless too?
January 7, 2008
Excuse my language here but I can't help it. What the hell is wrong with this bastard? First he denies soldiers are being sent back into combat with PTSD and a pocket full of pills. Then he denies veterans are homeless. He went on to talk about illegal aliens sending money back home? What country deserves to have this bastard living in it because it certainly isn't this one? He gets paid how much to slander our troops and veterans? What is he trying to prove? Does he think if he says it isn't so, it suddenly goes away? What about his responsibility in all of this with his huge paycheck and audience?

Readers of this blog know what PTSD (is). They know how many suicides there have been because of PTSD. They know how many homeless people there are and they know what causes them to be homeless. They are aware! O'Reilly lives in a land of his own making.

I'm tired of this man saying whatever he wants and never, ever having to face those he attacks and denies their existence instead of helping them.

What if every service organization across the country dealing with the homeless veterans writes to FOX and demands he apologize for this? How about every family member who has had a son or daughter deployed back into combat with diagnosed PTSD and prescriptions do the same? What if the thousands upon thousands of family members who have had a son or daughter commit suicide because of PTSD and service to this country do the same? How about they get joined by the hundreds of thousands of people dedicating their lives to helping these people do the same? Can FOX news allow any of this bastard's ranting to go on unchallenged?

O'Reilly and FOX have a responsibility to their viewers. It is one thing to not report on what is going on which they do consistently but another to lie about it.

While I have managed to learn and control what I say, or in this case write because I hardly ever use that kind of language anymore, even though I think it, O'Reilly hasn't changed at all.

NYPD Officer Larry DePrimo proves compassion lives in Manhattan

UPDATE Shoeless man in viral photo was homeless veteran

Larry DePrimo, NYPD Cop, Buys Homeless Man Boots (PHOTO)
Newsday
By Anthony M DeStefano
Posted: 11/29/2012

You have to like what NYPD Officer Larry DePrimo did for a barefoot man in Manhattan one frigid night this month. In fact, more than 260,000 Facebook users have "liked" DePrimo's actions, a number that's growing every day.

After a tourist from Arizona snapped a photo of DePrimo, of Holbrook, giving the man socks and boots to ward off the cold, the image became an instant hit on the NYPD's Facebook page.
read more here

UPDATE
Photo of NYPD officer giving boots to barefoot man warms hearts online
Cop keeps receipt in his vest 'to remind me that sometimes people have it worse'
NBC News
By J. DAVID GOODMAN
On a cold November night in Times Square, Officer Lawrence DePrimo was working a counterterrorism post when he encountered an older, barefooted homeless man. The officer disappeared for a moment, then returned with a new pair of boots, and knelt to help the man put them on.

The act of kindness would have gone unnoticed and mostly forgotten, had it not been for a tourist from Arizona.

Her snapshot — taken with her cellphone on Nov. 14 and posted to the New York Police Department’s official Facebook page late Tuesday — has made Officer DePrimo an overnight Internet hero.

By Wednesday evening, the post had been viewed 1.6 million times, and had attracted nearly 275,000 “likes” and more than 16,000 comments — a runaway hit for a Police Department that waded warily onto the social media platform this summer with mostly canned photos of gun seizures, award ceremonies and the police commissioner.

Among all of those posts, the blurry image of Officer DePrimo kneeling to help the shoeless man as he sat on 42nd Street stood out. “This is definitely the most viral,” said Barbara Chen, a spokeswoman for the department who helps manage its Facebook page.

Mr. Cano volunteered to give the officer his employee discount to bring down the regular $100 price of the all-weather boots to a little more than $75.

read more here

Photo of NYPD officer giving boots to barefoot man warms hearts online Cop keeps receipt in his vest 'to remind me that sometimes people have it worse'

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Marine confronts police in Times Square caught on video

'This is not a warzone!': The moment a marine called Thor confronted NYPD during Times Square occupation
By DAILY MAIL REPORTERS

Starting young: Thomas said he spent time recruiting Marines, though now he and both his parents who 'have 20+ years' experience each are looking for other work

This is the moment a Marine sergeant confronted police during the weekend's Occupy Wall Street march on Times Square.

Marine Corp Sergeant Shamar Thomas, whose nickname is Thor, yelled at a crowd of New York police officers who he thought were acting dishonourably by being too aggressive against peaceful protesters.

'There is no honour in this! There is no honour in this!' Mr Thomas screamed over and over.


'This is not a war zone! These are unarmed people. It doesn't make you tough to hurt these people!'

Mr Thomas is qualified to make that distinction, having served in the Marine corps from 2003 and did two tours in Iraq, in 2004 and 2006, before being honourably discharged in 2007. During his time in Iraq, he served as the non-commission officer who ran a small detention facility in Rutbah, which earned him a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.

In the video, it is clear that Mr Thomas is appalled by the police behaviour in Times Square, and lashes out at a group of about nine officers.
read more here


This is an interview when Sgt. Thomas talks about why he did it.

Two Veteran Police Officers Killed Over Weekend

Two Veteran Police Officers Killed Over Weekend
Monday, March 14, 2011 - 02:47 PM
By WNYC Newsroom

Two NYPD officers with more than a decade of experience were killed in the line of duty last weekend. One was pushed over a railing and tumbled to his death on a leafy street in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn. The second was fatally shot by an MTA officer on Long Island after a confrontation with a knife-wielding man. The suspect was also killed.

In Brooklyn, officers responded to a domestic violence call early Sunday morning. As officer Alain Schaberger, 42, prepared to take the suspect into custody he was shoved over a railing in front of the brownstone and tumbled down a concrete stairway to the basement. The nine-foot fall broke his neck.

read more here
Two Veteran Police Officers Killed Over Weekend

Senate passes revised 9/11 first responders health benefits bill

Senate passes revised 9/11 first responders health benefits bill
From Ted Barrett and Dana Bash, CNN
December 22, 2010 4:19 p.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Sen. Charles Schumer hails passage as a "great day" for America
The Senate passes the revised bill on a voice vote, sending it to the House
Sen. Tom Coburn: Compromise produced a better bill, totaling $4.2 billion over 10 years
The bill would provide free treatment for health issues from working at ground zero

Washington (CNN) -- The Senate on Wednesday passed a compromise version of a bill to provide free medical treatment and compensation to first responders of the September 11 terrorist attack.
The bill passed on a voice vote on what is expected to be the final day of the lame-duck session of Congress. It now goes to the House, which also is expected to approve it and send it to President Barack Obama to be signed into law.
Jubilant Democrats hailed the last-minute approval as a triumph for firefighters, police officers and other emergency personnel who put themselves in harm's way to help others in the 2001 terrorist attack.
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, who acknowledged that approval of the bill was in doubt until a few hours before the vote, called it a "great day" for the nation an especially for first responders sickened by exposure to toxic pollution from the collapse of the World Trade Center towers because now they know their country will take care of them.
read more here
Senate passes revised 9/11 first responders health benefits bill

Police find clues in potential car bomb vehicle

Police find clues in potential car bomb vehicle
From Susan Candiotti and Jeanne Meserve, CNN
May 2, 2010 11:00 a.m. EDT

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Vehicle Identification Number found on potential car bomb vehicle

SUV found in Times Square had propane tanks, gas cans, NYC mayor says

Vendor saw smoke coming from box in car, notified police

Police looking at surveillance video to determine who left vehicle

(CNN) -- A T-shirt vendor who noticed smoke coming out of a dark green sport utility vehicle alerted police to what turned out to be a potential bomb placed in the city's iconic Times Square -- teeming with tourists and theater-goers on a balmy spring evening.

"We avoided what could have been a very deadly event," said Mayor Michael Bloomberg early Sunday morning. "It certainly could have exploded and had a pretty big fire and a decent amount of explosive impact."

The atmosphere at Times Square returned to normal Sunday, but questions remained about the contents of the vehicle.

Two federal officials said Sunday it was too early to tell whether the incident involved al Qaeda or another international terror group. The national threat level remained at yellow, or elevated.
read more here
Police find clues in potential car bomb vehicle

PTSD on Trail: Ex-New York City Pollice Officer

Father says PTSD caused him to enter school with gun
By Steve Lieberman • slieberm@lohud.com • September 1, 2009

Peter Cocker today informed the court that he will offer a psychiatric defense to charges he rushed into South Orangetown Middle School armed and held the superintendent at gunpoint before being disarmed.

The Tappan father suffers from post traumatic stress disorder from years as a New York City police officer, his lawyer, Gerard Damiani, said after a court appearance at the Rockland County Courthouse in New City.

Cocker became agitated June 9 after his son collapsed on the baseball field and he felt his boy had swine flu symptoms , Damiani said.

He also had been drinking alcohol heavily, a form of self-medication resulting from post traumatic stress, Damiani said.

Cocker became angry at Schools Superintendent Kenneth Mitchell for sending out a Rockland Health Department form letter on swine flu precautions, authorities said. Cocker wanted the letter changed and the schools closed. The boy attends the middle school.
read more here
http://www.lohud.com/article/20090901/NEWS03/909010386

New York Officer Killed in Afghanistan

New York Officer Killed in Afghanistan

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: October 23, 2008
A New York City police officer serving in the United States Army National Guard has been killed in Afghanistan.

The officer, Deon L. Taylor, joined the Police Department in 2005 and had worked undercover. He was deployed to Afghanistan in January as a fire direction specialist. Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said Officer Taylor was killed on Wednesday.

Officer Taylor was set to return in December, and was planning to marry. He had an 8-year-old son.

Mr. Kelly expressed condolences to the officer’s friends and family, adding that Officer Taylor courageously served his city at home and his nation abroad.

The police said that 258 members of the department are on leave to serve in the military, many of them in Iraq and Afghanistan.

click post title for more

NYPD:Worried About Stigma, Officers Often Opt Out of Police Counseling

Worried About Stigma, Officers Often Opt Out of Police Counseling

By MICHAEL WILSON and CARA BUCKLEY
Published: October 2, 2008

The posters are hung throughout police headquarters, beside cheerful announcements of retirements and reminders of blood drives.

“Cops rid the streets of murderers, drug dealers, thieves, and all too often themselves,” the posters read. “If you’re a cop in need of help, call the N.Y.P.D. Early Intervention Hotline.”

Counseling within the Police Department is offered as a voluntary option for troubled officers and, in some cases, is mandatory, said Paul J. Browne, a police spokesman. But counseling remains among the most underused tools in a police officer’s arsenal, the result of an age-old stigma within the department against psychiatry in general.

Lt. Michael W. Pigott, who killed himself on Thursday morning after having ordered the fatal Taser shooting of a man on a ledge Sept. 24, was required to receive counseling within the Police Department, said Philip E. Karasyk, a lawyer for the Lieutenants Benevolent Association. He did so, and took some time off work last week, returning to one single shift at Fleet Services, where the department’s vehicles are serviced, he said.

“He had been transferred out of his unit. That’s always very disconcerting to these guys,” Mr. Karasyk said, especially in a case compounded by heavy media coverage. “No one takes into consideration the human being behind the cop.”

Other officers who were deemed to have made mistakes in the past dealt with their pain — be it anger or humiliation or fear of repercussions — in different ways.

Lt. Gary Napoli, 50, was the commanding officer of the team of officers who shot and killed Sean Bell in a hail of 50 bullets in Queens in 2006. While he was not among the three officers charged, and later acquitted, in the shooting, he was removed from his regular duty and suspended. In an interview on Thursday, he said he did not visit police counselors, although he credited the department for offering their services.

“I’ve developed many friendships on the job in 25 years. I received hundreds of phone calls in support,” he said. “The department was there for myself and my family and my kids. My superiors, my peers and my subordinates, they all were supportive of me.”

Likewise, Detective Gescard F. Isnora, one of the detectives acquitted in the shooting, did not visit counselors, said his lawyer, Anthony L. Ricco. “Jesse is a member of a very small but strong church, and they surrounded him with love and encouragement in the case,” Mr. Ricco said.

Kenneth Boss, one of the officers involved in the shooting death nine years ago of Amadou Diallo, an unarmed African immigrant, spoke with bitterness toward the department counseling. He said he internalized his grief over Mr. Diallo’s death and was so overwhelmed by the sharp turn his own life had taken, and the abandonment that he felt from the department, that he had suicidal thoughts at times.

“That mandatory counseling, it’s a mandatory visit. They don’t counsel you,” said Officer Boss, who remains on modified duty at Floyd Bennett Field.

“Never once in nine years did someone call to see if I was standing on a bridge or holding a gun to my head,” he said.
go here for more
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/03/nyregion/03cops.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Just one more reason I do what I do. When will these tough guys stop letting someone's ignorant attitude keep them from help? PTSD is a wound. Trauma is Greek for wound. All it means is that they are a thinking, feeling human exposed to abnormal events.

The Chicago Police department along with many others are addressing this right now and working to inform their officers what PTSD is, not just for their sake but for the sake of the communities they serve. They need to know so they can address the unique circumstances of members of the National Guard and Reservists coming back from combat so they are brought to treatment they need instead of jail, or worse, killed because they want to die. All cities and towns across this country need to do all that is humanly possible to save the lives and careers of the men and women who are willing to risk their lives for the rest of us. This is not an option.