Clergyman will counsel agents scarred by massacre
By Robert Napper
The Bradenton Herald (Florida)
Copyright 2007 The Bradenton Herald
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News
MANATEE, Fla. — The grisly mass shooting at Virginia Tech University took a terrible toll on law enforcement responding to the scene, a Manatee pastor said Tuesday.
In response, Hope Lutheran Church Pastor Andrew Toopes planned to fly to Virginia today to meet with federal law enforcement agents struggling to cope with what they encountered that day.
Authorities in Virginia said last Monday that Cho Seung-Hui, 23, shot and killed 32 people, then himself, in the worst campus massacre in the country’s history.
Toopes, 49, said it is often overlooked that emergency and law enforcement first responders to violent situations suffer emotional scars.
“These people walked into a room with dozens of dead bodies, mostly young students,” said Toopes. “It is inconceivable.”
Toopes, a chaplain for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, will be holding counseling sessions in Roanoke, Va., during the next two days.
It is a service that law enforcement agencies in Virginia have been asking for, Toopes said.
“They are recognizing that some of the people that went to the scene are needing to tell their story,” said Toopes.
The counseling sessions consist of a lot of listening on Toopes part, and prayers if requested.
“When you see something like that, there are often questions for God,” said Toopes.
Toopes is no stranger to helping people deal with the most difficult situations.
As chaplain for several agencies the past 12 years, he said he has made 450 calls to families informing them a loved one has died.
“I want to help people in impossible situations,” said Toopes.
But it is never easy, Toopes said.
“It can be very taxing because people get very emotional and they are looking to you to help them,” he said.
Boca Raton police psychologist Laurence Miller agreed. People like Toopes provide “an invaluable service” to law enforcement officers who have faced crises as they unfold. The true impact, he said, might not hit until later.
“It absolutely helps law enforcement officers to make this service available,” he said.