Lansdale Police Pool Money to Purchase Replacement iPad for Child Abuse Victim

Keith Heffintrayer•

When responding to incidents of domestic violence involving children, law enforcement personnel are often emotionally impacted by the situations they all-too-often encounter. Such was the case on Sept. 8, when a young boy clutching his teddy bear told responding officers that his father had struck and choked him, and had also broken his iPad.

"We can pretty much deal with anything, but calls involving kids are extremely difficult,” said Lansdale Borough Police Chief Michael Trail. "We’re all parents, and it weighs on us.”

When Trail arrived for roll call later that morning, he noticed that an iPad and card were sitting in the radio room. He was then briefed about the overnight incident, and learned that four officers and a clerk had pooled their money to purchase a new iPad for the boy.

"The officers were both shocked and touched by the level of abuse this young child had to endure,” Trail said. "I’m very proud of what they did, and I think it was incredibly kind and generous. But I also look at it as an example of the incident having an effect on the officers.”

Trail declined to provide the names of the officers involved, stating that they did not do so for any type of recognition. It was only after he read the comments on the article that North Penn Now posted yesterday that he decided to come forward with the act of kindness, as he wanted to the community to know that their police department shares in their passion and outrage.

"I know the officers would have my head if I shared their names, because that’s not what they’re about. But once I saw the article posted, I thought it was time to put it out there,” said Trail. "When I read the comments, I could tell people were very passionate about the story. I wanted to share the fact that our guys are passionate about it as well.”

Trail said the boy and his mother were extremely grateful for the kindness shown by his officers. Now, his focus has shifted to ensuring that his personnel are handling their emotional response in a healthy manner.

"The fact that they bought this iPad tells me that this really touched them,” said Trail. "So I have to reach out to them and make sure that everything is OK, because the calls regarding kids are the one thing we all hate.”

A Matter of Cumulative Stress

The mental health and well-being of his personnel has been at the forefront of Trail’s initiatives since taking over as police chief two years ago. Trail, who carries a keychain bearing the phrase "Love Your People,” distributed copies of Dr. Kevin Gilmartin’s book, Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement, to every officer within the department, in an effort to normalize mental health concerns in a profession that formerly viewed such issues as taboo or a sign of weakness.

"When an officer breaks their leg, everyone comes out and signs their cast and everything,” said Trail. "But when an officer has a mental health issue and feels like they need help, they normally don’t come out with it and they don’t tell anybody. They keep it really close to the vest.”

Domestic incidents—which often go unreported by the media, as doing so could cause further harm and humiliation for the victims—often have an emotional impact on responding officers. To counter the stress that can accumulate over time, officers have multiple resources at their disposal—including critical incident stress management teams, specialized officer training and initiatives such as Blue Courage—to help cope with emotionally impactful situations and incidents.

"Many officers deal with cumulative stress,” said Trail. "When we refer to PTSD, we usually refer to it as a single incident of significance that affects us. But the reality that we’re learning in law enforcement, as well as EMS and the fire service, is that there’s this cumulative stress, that these little bites of the apple that our men and women deal with every day begin to add up.”

Trail said that creating the proper environment where officers can decompress, and providing the necessary resources for mental health and wellness, are paramount, as law enforcement shifts to a community service approach that requires empathy and an emotional investment.

"We have to emotionally invest, otherwise we’re not doing our job,” Trail said. "That means that it’s difficult to try to compartmentalize work and home, and things that our officers encounter can often carry over beyond their shift.”

Shifting focus back to the Sept. 8 incident, Trail said that when he read the criminal complaint and saw the level of detail provided regarding the victim clutching his teddy bear, he could tell that the incident had taken a toll on his officers. Indeed, most criminal complaints are written in a very matter-of-fact manner, only providing the details to justify the charges levied after the incident.

Trail said he has since reached out to his personnel to ensure that the incident doesn’t emotionally fester, and added that their care and generosity show both their humanity and their ability to encounter and overcome traumatic situations.

"I can’t tell you enough how proud I am of what they did,” Trail said. "These guys and gals go out there every day and deal with these kinds of situations, so it’s very important that we take care of them and support them.”