Policing, PTSD and the Price of Service

DEVIANT

Cold Open Media

True Crime

4.8 • 610 Ratings

🗓️ 22 August 2025

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Former cop, detective and firearms instructor Glen Williams sits down with host Andrew Iden to talk about what the job really does to people—and how to survive it. This is a candid conversation about trauma (on the street, at home, and inside the chain of command), the cases that stick with you, and why talking about it might be the only way through. If you work in law enforcement, EMS, fire, dispatch—or you cover crime—you’ll feel this one. GET GLEN'S BOOK: https://a.co/d/3cL2kgw IN THIS EPISODE: How a beat cop becomes a detective—and what actually makes a good one “Leadership trauma” vs. “relationship trauma” vs. “experiential trauma” Nightmares, gallows humor, overworking, and the slow creep of PTSD What departments get right (and wrong) about “officer wellness” Why community rapport solves cases The most realistic cop shows (yes, NYPD Blue gets love) ABOUT THE GUEST: Glen Williams is a retired law enforcement officer (patrol, detectives, firearms/SWAT instructor). He wrote Bridging the Gap about mental health in policing and appears in the documentary Is There Something Going On at Home? Find the book on major retailers. JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you’re LEO/first responder/journalist: How do you cope—and what actually helps? Drop your tools, routines, or resources below. We’ll highlight thoughtful replies. SUPPORT & RESOURCES: If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out to a qualified professional or local peer-support resources. NEW HERE? Subscribe for long-form, straight-talk conversations about crime, policing, and the people inside the system. JOIN OUR PATREON: http://www.deviantpodcast.com Visit DEVIANT's socials: http://www.instagram.com/deviant.podcast http://www.tiktok.com/@deviant.podcast Copyright 2025 Cold Open Media LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I once had a police officer friend of mine who works overnight shift tell me that after about 10 years that you work in that job on the overnight shift especially, you start to realize that all kinds of things have happened to you in the way you see the world.
0:21.4	And the mental health aspect of police work really starts to set in and you kind of realize before you even know it that you've seen, experienced a lot of things that people shouldn't be dealing with on a regular basis.
0:36.2	They got me to thinking about police work and police officers and anybody that works in that
0:41.3	space and how they handle their mental health.
0:46.2	And so we have a conversation for you today with someone who's done just that.
0:51.3	His name is Glenn Williams.
0:52.4	And he is a former police officer, firearms
0:56.1	trainer, firearms instructor, SWAT teams, special weapons and tactics, all of that stuff.
1:01.3	He spent decades as a, as a law enforcement officer. And he really went to the edge and
1:08.1	back. And that's really all I'm going to tell you. I'm going to leave it for him to tell you.
1:12.2	But what he's done is he's written a book about his experience and about the role
1:17.1	that mental health plays in the work that he and thousands of other people all across the
1:23.1	country do every single day when they put on the uniform and they go out and protect us and do all of the
1:28.5	things that we appreciate so much. And so we really felt this was an important conversation to bring
1:33.7	to you guys so you can understand sort of how all of that works. And so with that said, here is
1:38.8	Glenn Williams, our guest on this week's Deviant Off script. Enjoy.
1:49.3	Thank you. our guest on this week's deviant off script, enjoy. Glenn, thanks a ton for being with us today.
1:52.0	I appreciate you giving us some time.
1:54.7	And I always find people that work in law enforcement fascinating.
1:59.9	The people that listen to the show know that,
2:01.7	obviously. We talk about it all the time. But I want to sort of start from the beginning with you.
2:06.4	Can you walk me through sort of the Glenn Williams story and how you got into law enforcement
	...

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