Keith Overby of Springfield Township struggled to cope as a deputy with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department after an encounter with a gun-totting 10-year-old.
After realizing how badly he was affected by the incident, which was technically a success because no one was physically injured, Overby set out to do something about the situation.
With a book about the experience in the works, Overby and his wife Katy organized a two-day conference on Deadly Aggression. The keynote speaker was Lt. Col. Dave Grossman U.S. Army (Ret.) Nov. 2 and 3 at Colombiere Conference Center in Springfield Township.
‘I had a couple of goals. The first one was for me. You can always prepare and train and I had the best training, but I don’t think training can prepare to come in contact with a 10-year-old? I also wanted to give back to the community,? said Overby.
Overby pursued the keynote speaker after Grossman’s book ‘On Combat? helped him recover and understand the traumatic experience with the 10-year-old, as reported in the June 8 edition of The Clarkston News.
Grossman is the director of the Killology Research Group and a scholar, author, soldier and speaker recognized as one of the world’s foremost experts in the field of human aggression and violence, according to his Web site.
Over 260 people, including law enforcement officers, judges, educational professionals and other interested parties, attended the seminar free of charge due to contributions from private individuals, the Oakland County Deputy Sheriff’s Association, West Bloomfield Police Department and the Oakland County Sheriff Department, said Overby.
?(The seminar) benefits not just the individual who may confront a situation where he has to use deadly force, but it helps other officers interact with others who have dealt with those stressful situations,? said Gary McClure, president of the Oakland County Deputy Sheriff’s Association.
‘Had Keith not spoken up, no one would have guessed it had affected him so deeply? he put this together when he realized other officers could benefit,? said McClure.
During the seminar, Grossman addressed the mental preparation and training necessary to handle the traumatic experiences felt by law enforcement officers and soldiers in a society he feels is growing more violent.
‘An unfortunate side effect of stopping an imminent threat is using deadly force. Killing is not the goal of using force, but is a likely outcome,? said Grossman.
‘His point that you don’t have to be a macho man (stood out to me). I think that’s true and a lot of officers feel they must be hard and not human and choose not to seek the council of a friend or professional,? said McClure.
Chief Barnett Jones of Sterling Heights, another speaker, told the law enforcement professionals they must be prepared when the violence comes their way.
‘If you don’t have the right mind-set, you won’t override your brain (and you might run not doing your job) because your brain is trying to tell you to survive,? said Jones.
Trooper Trevor Radke of the Michigan State Police, who also was deployed with the United State Marine Corps Reserves in Iraq in 2003, thought the seminar was informative.
‘One of the most interesting things was when he defined PTSD and explained how despite all the people who see the horrible violence, the overwhelming majority is fine and can cope (if they share certain factors),? said Radke.
‘Another point was that under stress there are many physiological responses, many of which are beyond our control unless we’re trained to react under those conditions. So law enforcement officers must make the training as realistic as possible,? he added.
In addition to training issues, Grossman also addressed issues of terrorism and the threats faced by schools if terrorist plots like those experienced in Beslan, Russia were to occur in the United States.
‘I think (the presentation) was excellent. I’ve learned a lot. I think the one issue he’s addressed is denial. We need to be cognizant that (terrorism in schools) could happen in Clarkston,? said 52-2 District Court Judge Kelley Kostin. ‘It think the preparation and awareness is important. He’s scared me a little bit. It gives me an appreciation of what law enforcements do everyday.?
‘He may have sounded like a radical or really intense to some people there. It was probably an eye-opening experience if you’re not exposed to the military,? said Radke.
Chief Jones echoed some of Grossman’s warnings to the crowd.
‘Terrorism is going to be fought in your streets and we need to be prepared for it? bad guys are preparing to mess with our kids and they practiced in Russia. It’s time for you to wake up and understand,? said Jones.
Throughout the first day, Grossman repeatedly discussed how he feels denial in both training and society often makes individuals and the whole U.S. susceptible to crumbling under crisis.
‘The time to decide if you can take a life is now, not in the heat of the moment,? said Grossman, who advocated the law enforcement and military world to embrace the word ‘kill? in order to mentally prepare for the violence policing the streets and soldiering present.
‘We can trick your body into killing, but you’re the next victim if you’re mind is not prepared,? said Grossman, who explained the paradox of killing in battle or as part of law enforcement. ‘We have a moral obligation to prepare you to live with what you have to do
at your job.?
‘I’ve felt in my experience we are way behind in identifying and caring for the needs of first-responders and this seminar was cutting edge. All first-responders need to know what Lt. Col. Grossman was talking about,? said McClure.
According to McClure, the OCDSA is trying to put together more avenues of assistance for first responders, including a committee dealing with member services to better support the needs of members in crisis both professionally and personally.
Grossman claimed that rates of violence today can be misleading because enhanced medical practices keep murder rates down.
Turning to schools, Grossman explained that violence is up and school shootings are only a recent phenomena produced by a more violent society. He stressed the importance of being prepared to educators and administrators on the second day using examples like Columbine to illustrate his point.
Grossman also referenced a Stanford Study he believes confirms the link between media violence and aggressive behavior and a new curriculum introduced in Escanaba, Michigan, which showed the benefits of cutting the use of violent mediums.
‘He hammered home the idea that (violent acts like the school shooting at Columbine) are from exposure at an early age to ultraviolent media sources like television and video games,? said Radke. ‘His message was get rid of the violence and don’t let kids be exposed to it.?
For more information on Grossman or Killology, visit www.killology.com.