No changes planned: chief
Murray Faulkner said it's too soon after a murder-suicide to alter rules concerning guns.
By RANDY RICHMOND AND KELLY PEDRO, SUN MEDIA
London police don't plan to change psychological testing of officers or counselling services in the wake of a murder-suicide of an officer and her ex-lover, a retired officer.
Nor are there any plans to change rules about how officers take guns out of police headquarters on Dundas Street, Chief Murray Faulkner said yesterday.
"I'm not sure what we could change. It is too early to say what we could change until we know what happened, what is back there in the past."
Acting Insp. Kelly Johnson and retired superintendent David Lucio were found dead in his van early Thursday, victims of a murder-suicide.
Johnson's service pistol was found in Lucio's vehicle and she had been seen shortly before the midnight shooting stopping at the police station for a few minutes.
Police take psychological tests to determine their "stability" when they join the force and later tests for certain assignments, such as joining the tactical unit, Faulkner said.
But many officers will move up through the force over decades without any further tests, he acknowledged.
"Tests are a snapshot of that moment " that may prove nothing about a person's long-term stability, Faulkner said.
Besides, the force has in-house and off-site counsellors to help staff going through hard times, he said.
The department also monitors employees for telltale signs of stress, such as marital breakdowns or substance abuse.
Even so, it's obvious signs can be missed, said Faulkner, still wrestling yesterday with his officer's possible role in the murder-suicide.
"Did I miss something? I think we all have to take some responsibility."
Johnson did not have permission to take her gun home with her, but police work on an honour system, Faulkner said.
Some officers have permission to take guns home with them when they feel necessary, provided they have legal and proper storage of the weapon, he said.
There is no requirement for an officer to sign out a gun, he said.
Suicide rates for those in law enforcement exceed those in the general population.
Statistically, men are more likely to shoot women in murder-suicides than the other way around.
Even more startling in this case is the fact Johnson oversaw the sexual assault and child abuse section, supervised the police domestic violence co-ordinator, and sat on several committees battling domestic violence.
"Everyone has stresses, but from Kelly's perspective . . . because of her background and experience, if anybody should know what help would be available, it was her," Faulkner said.
JDBeach said:Am I the only one who thought it was a legitimate question to ask (about weapons storage)?
I was not satisfied with Chief Faulkner's answer, but I don't blame him for not giving a detailed, well-reasoned argument, as he was dealing with two of his colleagues having just passed away.
Unlike what some people interpreted from my question, I do not yet have an opinion one way or the other as to whether the current policy is better than a common lockup as the military is familiar with, with signing out and in.
Therefore, I am seeking the opinions of members of this forum, especially those with insight into what requirements there are for police to access their firearms.
Not what you want to hear ....But...you will likely have to go on wondering.. So dare I say "put your army hat on!" and think !!. Would you discuss your armoury policies openly on a public forum after an incident occurred on its grounds??.. um no.. OPSEC comes into play also with the military part of para-military organization ..I am not a police officer and I don't know what method of storage would be best for them.
JDBeach said:This proves that it is possible to discuss it rationally. I wasn't looking for London police to defend or criticize their system, I just wanted to see what people's thoughts were, cop or not.
I was not satisfied with Chief Faulkner's answer, but I don't blame him for not giving a detailed, well-reasoned argument, as he was dealing with two of his colleagues having just passed away.
JDBeach said:Apparently no one is interested in making their views public. That's fine with me, I have my answer already. Consider the topic buried.
zipperhead_cop said:Just make sure you understand the answer you have gotten from here. You have displayed yourself to be an insensitive outsider not worthy of a LEO's trust or to be included in part of a discussion.
I would also like to meet you at some point, and hopefully I can better convince you about my original intentions for this thread in a face to face meeting. It is obvious that it is not working here. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it appears that you are saying that I am intentionally being insensitive and saying that the current policy is wrong. I am saying that I was simply asking for other people's views and am not advocating one way or the other. I don't know what more I can do to convince you of that.zipperhead_cop said:I eagerly look forward to crossing paths around the ASU at some point.
JDBeach said:I would also like to meet you at some point, and hopefully I can better convince you about my original intentions for this thread in a face to face meeting.
JDBeach said:It is obvious that it is not working here. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it appears that you are saying that I am intentionally being insensitive and saying that the current policy is wrong. I am saying that I was simply asking for other people's views and am not advocating one way or the other. I don't know what more I can do to convince you of that.
JDBeach said:I respectfully disagree with some of the points brought up by the previous posts, but I will not specify which points in order to avoid any more conflict.
JDBeach said:If there are lessons to be learned from this thread,
zipperhead_cop said:It is unlikely that would be the main thrust of the interaction... And it is obvious you are pursuing this for the sheer fun of being at the other end of a computer screen... Cop out... I trust this thread is all the entertainment that you hoped it would be... I am done with this.