I've been meaning to send this email for a couple
months. I attended your seminar at the Shakopee Police Department
in January. The information you presented made an impact on me and
I left the seminar that day with several thoughts and ideas you
presented. For the first time, I really understood the psychological
aspect of being involved in a shooting. In Skills school and during
other training I heard several times that when an officer is involved in
a shooting, he will probably wind up divorced, leaving police work,
suicidal, etc. I got tired of hearing such fatalistic talk and
wanted to hear something positive. Your seminar accomplished that
with two ideas: first, that the post-incidenct stress problem results not from the
officer's lack of fortitude or strength, but from the mind's ability
to process the incident and its repercussions AND deal with the ensuing
daily stresses (that we are normally not aware of) as life continues
after the shooting. The other thing you did is give positive
information: controlling stress by making time off with friends and
family your first priority, and getting help immediately after an
incident to ensure that any mental injury you may have suffered is found
and dealt with as soon as possible to get yourself back to a
psychologically healthy position before moving on.
Savage Police Department
Thanks for the incredible presention.
It is easily tied for first for the best and
thought provoking training I have ever had. I have been a law
enforcement officer for 13 years and have been close to some deadly
force situations, but have managed to avoid taking a life. I
feel blessed with this, more so after today. Just wanted to thank
you for a great presention.
Deuel County Sheriff's
Office
Clear Lake, SD 57226
November 15, 2007
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Hi Officer Schlieman, 01/12/2008
My name is Scott Baker and I just wanted to let you know
that your presentation at Minnetonka PD was excellent. I am a new
police officer in Minnetonka (for 2 months
now) and I wanted to thank you for coming out and telling your
stories. I have yet to encounter a truly dangerous patrol situation
where I have feared for my life, but your presentation has kept my focus
on not letting my guard down. I know because of your speech, I will
be better prepared for a dangerous encounter, even if it is not a deadly
one. So thank you once again.
-Scott Baker
All I can say Tom is, Powerful. 01/12/2008
Trevor Zimmerman
Prairie Island
Tribal Police
......"This
presentation is both informative and entertaining. Tom's story of
surviving multiple attacks in his career is incredible. Any cop can
benefit from this training regardless of how long they have been
involved in law enforcement"
Sgt. Scott Halonen
Wright County Sheriff's Office 18 yrs 01/11/2008
Thanks for the good instruction today. Your
class made me more aware of the threats out there, and I am back in
“police mode.” I have been a cop for 30 years now, and plan
on a few more. Its easy to become
complacent. Thanks
again, it was well worth my time to attend.
Officer
Jerry Johnson, #3424
Minneapolis PD
Tom,
I
attended your class on 01-10-08 in Minnetonka and you asked for feed
back. I thought the class was very well presented and very
informative. You presented yourself very well going through a very
tough and stressful situation. I went through Alex Tech and you
along with a few other officer's put on a class
and thought then, it was good.
I
hope I never have to have a deadly force encounter but it is nice to have
some resources available.
Thanks
again and stay safe,
Deputy
Ryan Marthaler
Yellow Medicine County Sheriff's Office
Granite Falls, MN
56241
Tom,
I
attended your class on January 10, 2008. I thought that the
presentation was phenomenal. I hope that I am never faced with a
situation where deadly force needs to be applied, but after attending
your presentation, I am confident that I will be able to apply the force
and deal with the aftermath better than I would have before. I am
terribly sorry that you had to face that hell, twice, but I am thankful
that there are people like you out there, who are willing to share their
stories so that the rest of us have a better understanding of what to
expect. I have seen you speak one other time, when I attended Alexandria Technical College (Graduated May 2007), and I
enjoyed the presentation then. It was just as good, if not better,
the second time around. Again, I want to thank you for
all that you do, and please keep up the good work. Take care, and
be safe.
Adam Stier
Police Officer
Upper Sioux Community PD
2511
565th Street, P.O. Box 147
Granite
Falls, MN 56241
My
wife and I attended you recent training and want to thank you for an
excellent presentation. You were very professional and held our
attention during the entire day. My wife is an officer with
Lakeville and I work for Rosemount. We felt connected since both
you and your wife are officers. Please continue to share this
training with other officers. By sharing your experiences, it will
help the rest of us understand the physical changes we may go through
during a D.F.E and be less likely to panic. The honest reflection
of what you experienced after the fact discourages stuffing those
feelings and emotions for those who wear the badge.
Thank
you,
Ryan
and Kelli Coughlin
I attended your seminar in Minnetonka
recently and really enjoyed hearing you speak about your incidents. I
wish that I had attended your class prior to my shooting so I would have
known what to expect. It made me realize how important it is to prepare yourself for the aftermath of a critical incident.
Thank you for sharing your story with others. Thanks again,
Jessica Phillips
Police Officer-Eastern District
City of Saint Paul