Jan 2024. Blues Vol 40 No. 1

DR. TINA JAECKLE
blue mental health
Survivors of LODD:
We Honor Your Journey to Healing
Beginning in December
2023, I began dedicating this
monthly mental health column
to sharing the first-person
journeys of those who
have been deeply impacted
by a line of duty death and
will continue until Police
Week 2024. We learn powerful
life lessons and gain perspective,
appreciation, and
respect for those who
continue to serve every
day, and for those who
have made the ultimate
sacrifice. We should also
never forget those left
behind in the aftermath.
This story is the second
in the series. Matt Hanlin,
a co-worker of Detective
David White, graciously
agreed to offer his insight
and road to recovery in
his own words.
“On February 16th, 2012,
I was part of a nine-man
team that was conducting
an investigation into a
methamphetamine lab in
our county. While attempting
to make contact
with the subjects inside,
a male subject opened
fire towards the front
door with a .357 magnum
handgun. One of
the rounds struck me in the left
upper arm, severed my brachial
artery and was stopped by
my ballistic vest. Another round
struck our co-worker and friend,
Detective David White, in the
head. Unfortunately, Dave paid
the ultimate sacrifice that night.
Our agency had not suffered a
felonious law enforcement death
in almost 100 years.
DR. TINA JAECKLE
The tragedy of Dave’s death affected
our agency and community
severely. We were
unprepared for the
event as an agency and
our Narcotics members
ultimately suffered
for this. We knew that
the proper thing to do
was to care for Dave’s
family and embrace
their loss, so that’s
what we did. Meanwhile,
I feel as if the
agency members were
left to suffer in silence,
myself included. I was
dealing with survivor’s
guilt, although at the
time I had no idea what
that was. I just know
that I was depressed
and felt terrible guilt
that I had survived, and
that Dave was taken
from us. I had already
experienced the joys
of watching my two
128 The Blues - January ‘24