In the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in May 2020, riots and protests ensued for nearly two weeks in the Twin Cities. The destruction and violence associated with the riots generated international attention that placed Minneapolis front and center of the headlines as it dealt with the civil unrest. Many of the headlines involved the trauma that police officers and first responders were exposed to while carrying out their duties of protecting the communities; trauma that often includes actual physical harm and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms that continue to scar them on a daily basis.

Hi, my name is Josh Harrison. I am an attorney at Meuser, Yackley & Rowland, P.A. Before I joined the Meuser team, I was in private practice representing publicly and privately traded companies primarily in shareholder disputes, as well as mergers and acquisitions.

Hi, my name is Scott Rowland, an attorney here at Meuser, Yackley & Rowland, P.A. I represent individuals injured both at work and outside of work. I also represent Minnesota’s peace officers and firefighters in obtaining their disability benefits and healthcare under both PERA and MSRS.

One question I want to address today is what is the process like when you come in to consult with myself or another attorney at Meuser, Yackley & Rowland if you are a police officer or firefighter or other first responder that is concerned that they may be experiencing symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). I have heard from clients over the years many times that they considered calling me and it took them months to gather the courage to do so. For what it’s worth I want to assure you that my goal at the end of a consultation with an individual that is concerned about symptoms consistent with PTSD my goal is to try to give you some reassurance that things are going to be OK. That is the only objective I have during those initial consultations.