by Keith Bettinger<\/span><\/p>\n from Las Vegas, NV\u00a0\u00a0 keithbett@cox.net<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n It is Tuesday October 3. I spent part of the day in the parking lot opposite the Mandalay Bay hotel helping my friends in the Fraternal Order of Police feed and hydrate the first responders working at the murder scene.\u00a0 Police officers are working twelve hour shifts, yet they are friendly and professional.\u00a0 They never pass up a chance to thank us for coming to help them.\u00a0 It was also the day I found out the lady I was trying to locate the night before, is one of the fatalities.<\/span><\/p>\n The community of Las Vegas, known as Sin City, may have lost whatever innocence it had, but it has not lost its heart.\u00a0 Hotel marquees display messages of sorrow for the victims and praise for the first responders.\u00a0 People are pulling up with food, beverages and ice saying \u201cI just want to help\u201d.\u00a0 The generosity has been so great some of the collection places have had to turn people and their gifts away and redirect them to other locations because they are over supplied.\u00a0 All the people are coming near the tragedy scene trying to give something back to the first responders.\u00a0 Hotels are sending food and sandwiches.\u00a0 Ice, snack packs, water, Gatorade, soft drinks, pizza, pastries and just about anything you can think of is offered freely by the people wanting to help and thank someone for what the first responders did.<\/span><\/p>\n It was eerie looking up at the two broken out golden windows and realizing how much death and pain rained down from them.\u00a0 It makes me feel once again like I did back on 9\/11.\u00a0 Tomorrow I will be back with my friends from the local Fraternal Order of Police lodges, trying to help take care of the first responders and wondering\u00a0 where do these brave people come from?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It is Wednesday, October 4 President Trump has arrived in Las Vegas with the first lady.\u00a0 They have travelled to two important locations; the trauma center at UMC (University Medical Center) to meet with survivors of this horrific event and the headquarters of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.\u00a0 I have spent the morning with fellow Fraternal Order of Police friends making coffee and making sure first responders have enough nourishment and fluid to help them make it through their current assignment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n When we arrived at seven o\u2019clock this morning waiting to greet us was the lid of a cardboard box from a restaurant.\u00a0 On it were messages of thanks for the police officers, thanking them for what they have done while providing them with a little rest and nourishment.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Part of the afternoon was spent helping the first responders do their overwhelming jobs.\u00a0 Our members went shopping on short notice and arrived back at our trailer with hamburgers, apples, tangerines, bananas, snack packs, beverages, and energy drinks.\u00a0 We fed between 140 and 200 specialists who were then responsible to reenter and investigate this overwhelming crime scene.\u00a0 You have never met so many people who were thankful for a simple hamburger, some fresh fruit and above all else, energy drinks. All they asked was would we promise to be back on site the following day.\u00a0 How could we say no to such a thankful group of people?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The people who are with the FBI are measuring as well as posting on maps where each piece of evidence from Sunday night is located.\u00a0\u00a0 The agents of the Nevada State Attorney General\u2019s office must reenter the killing zone and recover all the personal effects left behind.\u00a0 While there, they will tag, document, identify, and attempt to contact either the owner whose property they now posses, or make a notification to the next of kin that the loved one\u2019s property has been found and available to be claimed.<\/span><\/p>\n Time is winding down like it does with any crisis in life.\u00a0 Tomorrow we will arrive a little later in the day and once again provide sustenance to the evidence gatherers as well as any first responder, but with shortened hours on site.\u00a0 The people, who attended the concert and escaped to safety, are returning home.\u00a0 We will stay on site but not as long as we did when we first responded.\u00a0 For those that lost loved ones, many of the casino\/hotels are offering free rooms.\u00a0 Some of the airlines, are offering to fly the human remains home for free.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I have been wiping tears and sometimes struggling to finish sentences without crying in front of someone.\u00a0 A simple thank you from a first responder can bring tears to your eyes as he or she takes a couple bottles of water or energy drinks back out on the road to continue their twelve hour assignments.\u00a0 This can reduce you to tears.\u00a0 They have done so much and we have done so little, trying to make their day just a little easier, a little better and maybe a little more hopeful.<\/span><\/p>\n Tomorrow I will return with my friends, maybe our stay will be shorter, maybe it will be longer.\u00a0 We serve our first responders and their needs.\u00a0 They make the hours worthwhile because they never leave us without saying thank you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Thursday was another day helping take care of the first responders.\u00a0 The evidence technicians continue their tiring task of gathering evidence and retrieving victims\u2019 lost property.\u00a0 It seems every day the authorities give back to the residents some of the roped off areas and open up some of the streets that have been closed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Two ladies arrived at our command post site and delivered care packages containing sandwiches, snacks, fruit and bottles of water.\u00a0 These were put together by members of their church.\u00a0 They wanted to do something to help and they have, yet they thank us for allowing them to help.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Today I was told some happy news.\u00a0 A dog was found and reunited with his owner.\u00a0 The owner is one of the survivors of the mayhem.\u00a0 The dog is a therapy dog .\u00a0 They became separated\u00a0 during the slaughter.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0Sergeant Bernie Moss of the Corpus Christi police department once wrote a story, You\u2019re Not A Cop Until You Taste Them.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em>It\u2019s about a time early in his career and being told by an old timer you\u2019re not a cop until you taste them, and then saying nothing more.\u00a0 One day Bernie handled a horrific event one night and while changing clothes in the locker room he was crying.\u00a0 The old timer came over and put his hand on Bernie\u2019s shoulder and said, \u201cNow you\u2019ve tasted them.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Tears have a special taste all their own and also have a cathartic effect.\u00a0 I have tasted my tears during this tragic time, but in my case they aren\u2019t tears of sadness or hurt.\u00a0 They are tears of gratitude for the wonderful people who are trying to help.\u00a0 They are tears for the work the first responders continue doing no matter how terrible.\u00a0 They are tears of thanks for allowing me to help and be part of Las Vegas\u2019 recovery.\u00a0 Eventually, this horrific event will be part of my past, not my present.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Site Administrator:\u00a0 Gary S. Aumiller, Ph.D. ABPP<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Please share this article from down below.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Please join the email list on the top of the sidebar and you can get these sent to your email.\u00a0 Also follow me on Twitter (https:\/\/twitter.com\/ThinBlueMind<\/a>) for other articles and ideas, and YouTube at\u00a0https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCfjNw0510ipr3bX587IvAHg<\/a> .<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" TRAGEDY IN LAS VEGAS by Keith Bettinger from Las Vegas, NV\u00a0\u00a0 keithbett@cox.net It is Tuesday October 3. I spent part of the day in the parking lot opposite the Mandalay Bay hotel helping my friends in the Fraternal Order of Police feed and hydrate the first responders working at the murder scene.\u00a0 Police officers are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[17169016,17168797,17169015],"class_list":["post-6605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-stories","tag-peer-support","tag-police-psychology","tag-tragedy"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2824,"url":"https:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/?p=2824","url_meta":{"origin":6605,"position":0},"title":"Police Psychology | Mass Casualities","author":"Gary Aumiller","date":"June 15, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Police Psychology | Mass Casualties by Gary S. Aumiller, Ph.D.\u00a0 ABPP \u00a0 In light of the Orlando night club shooting this week, I wanted to give you some information on the effects this kind of tragedy can have on first responders and what can be done as a police leader\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Rank and Leadership"","block_context":{"text":"Rank and Leadership","link":"https:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/?cat=17168887"},"img":{"alt_text":"police line","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/policepsychologyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/police-line-300x145.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2612,"url":"https:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/?p=2612","url_meta":{"origin":6605,"position":1},"title":"Police Psychology | Disabled Police Officer or Scammer?","author":"Gary Aumiller","date":"May 26, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Police Psychology | Disabled Police Officer or Scammer? Sgt, John R. \u00a0Ret. Deputy Sheriff \u00a0 What is a Disabled Police Officer? \u00a0I will tell you. He or she is \u201cLucky,\" \u201cA Scammer,\" \u201cFaking It,\u201d \u201cHas Hit The Jackpot,\u201d \u201c Malingering,\u201d \u201c Making it Worse Than it is,\u201d \u201cLazy,\u201d \u201cTrying to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Stories"","block_context":{"text":"Stories","link":"https:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/?cat=1"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6229,"url":"https:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/?p=6229","url_meta":{"origin":6605,"position":2},"title":"Police Psychology Interview: Intelligence and Counterintelligence","author":"Gary Aumiller","date":"July 12, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Police Psychology Interview: \u00a0Intelligence and Counterintelligence with James Turner, Ph.D. \u00a0 Some of the earliest use of psychology in operational policing\u00a0was by the military. \u00a0I remember reading stories of how B. F. Skinner invented a pigeon-controlled missile which were much more accurate than the guidance systems available at the time.\u00a0\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Public Information Bureau"","block_context":{"text":"Public Information Bureau","link":"https:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/?cat=17168888"},"img":{"alt_text":"Police psychology: counterintelligence","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/policepsychologyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/turner.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":748,"url":"https:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/?p=748","url_meta":{"origin":6605,"position":3},"title":"Police Psychology | Are You Cooperative or Competitive?","author":"Gary Aumiller","date":"September 24, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Police Psychology | Are You Cooperative or Competitive? \u00a0 This question resonates for all police psychology from testing to operational to consulting to working with the officer in a therapeutic role.\u00a0 Are you cooperative or competitive? In order to understand this question better, we need to understand the specific differences\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Motives and Opportunity"","block_context":{"text":"Motives and Opportunity","link":"https:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/?cat=17168884"},"img":{"alt_text":"Police psychology, competitive","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/policepsychologyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/65917-20150924-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5092,"url":"https:\/\/policepsychologyblog.com\/?p=5092","url_meta":{"origin":6605,"position":4},"title":"Police Psychology | The Obsessed Mind-Body Connection","author":"Gary Aumiller","date":"January 10, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Police Psychology | The Obsessed Mind-Body Connection by Gary S. 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