We still don’t know how seven victims in Sumner County died over the weekend. But law enforcement used words like “gruesome,” so the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is worried about the mental health of first responders.
“I’ve had a long career in prosecution,” Sumner County District Attorney Ray Whitley said at a press conference Monday. “This is one of the most horrific cases I’ve ever had to encounter and deal with.”
In the Westmoreland murders, it’s not just the investigators and sheriff’s deputies on the scene. The TBI also called out its forensic scientists who — unlike in the movies — spend most of their time a step or two removed.
“I worry about the people that go there and work these scenes because these people on a daily basis come into the lab,” says Jenifer Hall, supervisor of the TBI crime lab in Nashville.
The TBI is offering them what is available to agents around the state — either peer support, volunteer chaplains or counseling from an outside provider.
MORE: What We Know So Far About The 7 Sumner County Homicides
As training director of the Tennessee Public Safety Network, Peter Cove works with law enforcement agencies dealing with traumatic scenes like the one in Sumner County. He says there’s a tendency for everyone to want to pitch in with such a massive case.
“What we tell them is, ‘If you don’t have to see it, don’t,’ ” he says.
If they can’t avoid involvement, Cove encourages them to talk openly about their reactions with colleagues. Otherwise, he says a career of seeing humanity at its worst will have detrimental effects.
Law enforcement officers have elevated rates of divorce and even suicide.
“It’s normal people having normal feelings to abnormal situations,” Cove says. “But the culture is don’t feel, don’t talk, and suck it up.”
Correction: A previous version of this story implied that all seven victims as relatives of the suspect. As of the time of publishing, only three victims are known to be relatives.
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