From NY Post
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/nypd_policy_on_combat_heroes_nuts_VFtTxxmkTsozK5LzVlqMpO
If vets say they're suffering from any symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, NYPD recruiters will likely turn them away.
But if they don't admit having PTSD symptoms to the military, they risk losing critical health care if their condition worsens.
"Three psychiatrists said I was fine, but I was still branded psychologically unfit," said Keith, a decorated Army sergeant from Long Island who served in Humvees that were shelled six times in Iraq.
After six months away from war, Keith passed the NYPD's entrance examination in 2006.
But then he detonated a bureaucratic land mine. He'd admitted his occasional PTSD symptoms to the Army, which handed over his record to the NYPD.
"Getting blown up by IEDs is scary. Once in a while, I got a little uncomfortable. In large, disorderly crowds I was a little hyper-vigilant, which could be viewed as a good thing," he said.
He was disqualified from wearing an NYPD badge.
But Keith soldiered on — going through his grandfather's inheritance to appeal the Civil Service Commission disqualification. He found experts to say he was cleared of any symptoms.
But applications have a five-year expiration date from when the test is taken.
Keith, who graduated magna cum laude from CUNY's John Jay College while trying to become a cop, decided not to keep fighting.
"It was a long, complicated process and they didn't know how to clear my record because people don't usually ask the Army for less benefits — they ask for more," he explained.
The NYPD insists every soldier and applicant is reviewed on an individual basis. But Keith's lawyer, Robert Kronenberg, said a department counselor admitted that he hasn't given clearance to one person who admitted PTSD symptoms.
"It's a scarlet letter," the retired NYPD captain-turned-lawyer said. "It's having a significant impact on soldiers who are coming back perfectly normal."
NYPD spokesman Paul Browne defended strict screening.
"We screen on a case-by-case basis," he said. "Every candidate is subjected to a psychological evaluation, which is important considering the fact that a police officer may be called upon to use deadly force."
Meanwhile, Keith was hired by another police department.
"They taught me to have integrity in the Army and be honest, and look where it got me," he said. "I'll never realize my childhood dream of joining the NYPD."
--
Sean Eagan
American Cold War Veterans, Inc.
Web: http://americancoldwarvets.org/
Blog: Cold War Veterans Blog
Email: Sean.Eagan@gmail.com
Phone: 716 720-4000
Network: My Fast Pitch! Profile
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/nypd_policy_on_combat_heroes_nuts_VFtTxxmkTsozK5LzVlqMpO
If vets say they're suffering from any symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, NYPD recruiters will likely turn them away.
But if they don't admit having PTSD symptoms to the military, they risk losing critical health care if their condition worsens.
"Three psychiatrists said I was fine, but I was still branded psychologically unfit," said Keith, a decorated Army sergeant from Long Island who served in Humvees that were shelled six times in Iraq.
After six months away from war, Keith passed the NYPD's entrance examination in 2006.
But then he detonated a bureaucratic land mine. He'd admitted his occasional PTSD symptoms to the Army, which handed over his record to the NYPD.
"Getting blown up by IEDs is scary. Once in a while, I got a little uncomfortable. In large, disorderly crowds I was a little hyper-vigilant, which could be viewed as a good thing," he said.
He was disqualified from wearing an NYPD badge.
But Keith soldiered on — going through his grandfather's inheritance to appeal the Civil Service Commission disqualification. He found experts to say he was cleared of any symptoms.
But applications have a five-year expiration date from when the test is taken.
Keith, who graduated magna cum laude from CUNY's John Jay College while trying to become a cop, decided not to keep fighting.
"It was a long, complicated process and they didn't know how to clear my record because people don't usually ask the Army for less benefits — they ask for more," he explained.
The NYPD insists every soldier and applicant is reviewed on an individual basis. But Keith's lawyer, Robert Kronenberg, said a department counselor admitted that he hasn't given clearance to one person who admitted PTSD symptoms.
"It's a scarlet letter," the retired NYPD captain-turned-lawyer said. "It's having a significant impact on soldiers who are coming back perfectly normal."
NYPD spokesman Paul Browne defended strict screening.
"We screen on a case-by-case basis," he said. "Every candidate is subjected to a psychological evaluation, which is important considering the fact that a police officer may be called upon to use deadly force."
Meanwhile, Keith was hired by another police department.
"They taught me to have integrity in the Army and be honest, and look where it got me," he said. "I'll never realize my childhood dream of joining the NYPD."
--
Sean Eagan
American Cold War Veterans, Inc.
Web: http://americancoldwarvets.org/
Blog: Cold War Veterans Blog
Email: Sean.Eagan@gmail.com
Phone: 716 720-4000
Network: My Fast Pitch! Profile
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