Lack of Leadership and Education ruins a Decorated Officer’s Career, Puts another man in the Hospital

I know that I keep asking the same question but I still do not have an answer to it and how many more people must suffer because those who are in a position of authority don’t have the intestinal fortitude to recognize when it is time to remove people from a stressful position before something worse happens.  I saw this because it has happened again and will continue until someone wakes up and smells the coffee.  From Jason Hanna, Martin Savidge and John Murgatroyd for CNN comes “Video shows trooper shooting unarmed man, South Carolina police say”

The scene is described as “One moment, a man reaches into his vehicle after a South Carolina trooper asked for his driver's license.  Seconds later, the trooper shoots him, and the man asks why. Days afterward, prosecutors aren't satisfied with the answer.  Authorities released dash-camera video Wednesday showing what they say is Sean Groubert, a decorated South Carolina Highway Patrol trooper, shooting Levar Jones, who was unarmed, in the parking lot of a gas station just outside Columbia on September 4.  Jones, 35, survived the shooting. But Groubert, who has since been fired for the incident, has been charged with aggravated assault and battery, a felony that could get him up to 20 years in prison if convicted, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said Wednesday.”

Now why I call this a lack of leadership and education is simply the very same reason why this officer was decorated.  “Groubert, who joined the Highway Patrol in 2005, earned kudos for the other time he'd fired his gun in the line of duty.  Police said Groubert stopped a car that had passed him at a high rate of speed in Richland County in August 2012. The driver eventually took off without permission, and Groubert pursued him, police said.  Another trooper joined the pursuit, and the driver stopped at a bank, exited his vehicle and fired shots at both troopers in the parking lot, police said.

Groubert and the other trooper returned fire, injuring the suspect, the SCDPS said. At some point, it appeared that the suspect intended to go inside the bank, Iacobelli said.  That suspect was charged with attempted murder and convicted in 2013, according to the SCDPS.  The SCDPS gave Groubert a medal of valor in 2013 for his handling of the incident, Iacobelli said.”

After that stressful situation, PTSD can form and until those who suffer from it, owns it, the results could be devastating.  Leadership should have taken a few extra minutes to make sure that after that incident all those involved were fine to resume duties but because many leaders don’t have the slightest idea about this disorder or any idea of how the mind actually works, saw fit to not only place him back on duty alone but gave him a medal.  Ever wonder why those suffering from PTSD never keep their medals with them.  It’s because it clearly reminds them of the incident and while it may sound like something strange to you, it can drive some completely over the edge.  This officer must now deal with not only what happened before but what has happened now and what his future will be like, if he has one.  All this pain and suffering could have been avoided had someone somewhere had the sense God gave a skunk and thought more about the dangers they were about to unleash upon the community by sending this guy back out before he was truly owning his actions.  How many more, America before we say, those in charge must be in charge and if you can’t handle that heat, get the heck out of the kitchen.