American Kids Get Traumatised

[mwilkinson]

I remember my trip to the morgue on my initial training (just). It was a bloody good way of learning what state of decay a body was in so you had an idea when you saw a body, also you got used to the smell and seeing bits of people, it is in fact a vital part of police training as far as I am concerned. I went to a job not long ago where an old chap had died while cleaning out his pond, he was face down in it with the fish taking a snack on his nose, the probationer I was with just froze and told me they hadn't seen a body before, he was then promptly sick on me and the body when I turned him over and saw his face, crime scene = ruined. Seems he had a heart attack. Shame really, no-one had noticed for at least a month. Oh the joys of policing!

 

Sorry for the gruesome stories everyone, but on that same visit having conducted to the best of my abilities the body exam (wearing gloves of course), I tried to get his wallet out of his right trouser pocket before the undertakers arrived. He was lying on his right side and his stomach was distended. As I was teasing the wallet out, on top of the maggots and a bit of body juice his stomach ripped. I got a nice handful of black and very smelly organs on my hands. I heaved but did not vomit!!

 

I think that was above and beyond the call of duty.

[Ian C]

Sorry for the gruesome stories everyone, but on that same visit having conducted to the best of my abilities the body exam (wearing gloves of course), I tried to get his wallet out of his right trouser pocket before the undertakers arrived. He was lying on his right side and his stomach was distended. As I was teasing the wallet out, on top of the maggots and a bit of body juice his stomach ripped. I got a nice handful of black and very smelly organs on my hands. I heaved but did not vomit!!

 

I think that was above and beyond the call of duty.

 

I'm so glad I work in IT

[Supra Gaz]

Sorry for the gruesome stories everyone, but on that same visit having conducted to the best of my abilities the body exam (wearing gloves of course), I tried to get his wallet out of his right trouser pocket before the undertakers arrived. He was lying on his right side and his stomach was distended. As I was teasing the wallet out, on top of the maggots and a bit of body juice his stomach ripped. I got a nice handful of black and very smelly organs on my hands. I heaved but did not vomit!!

 

I think that was above and beyond the call of duty.

 

We do not steal wallets, we only take jewellery, and never wedding rings, they leave ring marks on the hand that the crime scene officers notice and then you have to cut them in on the action.

[Kilps]

Years ago they use to take all Police officers to the Morgue for a visit as part of the training. This was expected as being in the police you will see a dead body at one point or another and sometimes in some very poor states. Better to se your first one in a controlled environment behind closed doors than vomiting in front of a family when you go to a sudden death etc..

 

When I joined they stopped this saying it was unfair to force officers to see a dead body and that they had been sued in the past by officers who were traumatised by the visit!! I could not believe this, people should really think twice about the jobs hey apply for. Suffice to say within a few week I was dealing with an elderly gentleman who had not been seen for two weeks. I found him on the living room floor in a very advanced state of decomposition!!

 

The post mortem I saw was one of the most interesting things I've ever seen. I'm glad I saw it. I've never yet seen a gruesome death though, so that'll be an experience!