New police crisis team aids Erie officers at scene of sergeant's shooting. How does it work?
After a veteran Erie police officer was shot as he and others were responding to a shots-fired call in an eastside neighborhood on the early morning of July 30, a group of officers was waiting to speak with those who witnessed the incident at the end of their shift.
A Critical Incident Stress Management Team recently implemented by the Erie Bureau of Police was there to speak with Sgt. David Stucke's fellow officers within hours of the shooting and in the days that followed.
More: Erie police officer remains stable after shooting. Erie man charged with attempted murder
The team is made up of six to eight officers from different areas of the city police bureau who work with Safe Harbor Behavioral Health in providing assistance to officers who may have been involved in or affected by a critical incident, Erie Police Chief Dan Spizarny said. Modeled after a similar program employed by the Pennsylvania State Police, and created in consultation with state police, the team speaks with those officers about what they might be experiencing following a traumatic incident, Spizarny said.
"We've taken a holistic approach to the health of the officers," Spizarny said. "We always worry about victims and families, but we have not done a good job making sure police officers have that assistance available."
Spizarny said the idea of creating a Critical Incident Stress Management Team was born from an incident in the city in August 2019, when five young children who were staying at a family day care on West 11th Street died in a fire that broke out in the residence. A number of city police officers responded to the fire, with some officers providing CPR and others driving ambulances to the hospital from the fire scene, he said.
More: Lawsuit filed in Erie fire that killed 5 children blames fan, extension cord; 25 defendants sued
The team's first official action following its creation was in offering assistance to fellow officers following the July 30 shooting.
Stucke, 42, a 14-year member of the Erie Bureau of Police and a third-generation city police officer, was shot in the leg as he and other officers were investigating a possible shooting in the 500 block off East 22nd Street at about 5 a.m. on July 30. According to state police, which is investigating the shooting, someone inside a duplex fired on the officers.
At least six officers were on the scene, but no one else was reported injured. Several officers returned fire, but the suspect was not wounded, authorities reported.
According to Spizarny, Stucke ran 40 feet to get to cover behind a police car and applied a tourniquet. Other officers then assisted Stucke, loaded him into a police car and took him to UPMC Hamot, where he underwent emergency surgery, the chief said.
Stucke was recently released from UPMC Hamot and was transferred to UPMC Mercy in Pittsburgh for rehabilitation, Spizarny said.
The man accused of shooting Stucke, 27-year-old Patrick Gleba, was charged by state police on July 30 with offenses including three counts each of attempted homicide and attempted murder of a law enforcement officer. He remains in the Erie County Prison on $300,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court for his preliminary hearing on Sept. 7, according to information in his online court docket sheet.
State police wrote in Gleba's criminal complaint that he told investigators he fired the gunshots because he thought someone was trying to break into his residence.
Spizarny said the team provided officers who were at the shooting scene with an initial debriefing, where they were given some insight into what they might experience, before those officers went home that morning. A second group session was held a few days later, to go over things the officers may be experiencing, he said.
"The adrenaline push is going to wear off. They might be fine one or two days after, but then reality sets in," Spizarny said.
A third group meeting was then held, in which a psychologist was brought in to give a talk to the officers, he said. From there, every officer has the option of seeking personal counseling, including through the city of Erie's employee assistance network or on their own, the chief said.
More: Erie-area police agencies reflect on officers' mental health — and where they can get help
The Erie Bureau of Police will soon offer additional aid to its officers through the creation of a peer-to-peer counseling program, where officers will have the opportunity to speak with other trained officers about issues they may be dealing with. The bureau will send some officers out for training for the new program, Spizarny said.
Contact Tim Hahn at thahn@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNhahn.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Crisis team aids Erie police officers at scene of sergeant's shooting
