A barricaded situation in a Kansas City, Kansas, hotel room ended peacefully today after about 24 hours of negotiations, according to a police spokesman.
Kansas City, Kansas, officers were sent to the Holiday Inn Express near 39th and Rainbow Boulevard in the Rosedale area just after 3 a.m. Monday, Dec. 3, the spokesman stated.
The officers were asked to assist in making contact with a distressed member of the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department, who was in the hotel, the KCK police spokesman stated.
According to the spokesman, family members of the individual said she possibly was suffering from crisis-related symptoms and they were concerned for her welfare and the welfare of her minor children, who were with her.
Negotiators were used to communicate with the individual and her children in an effort to ensure a safe and peaceful resolution, the spokesman stated.
After about 24 hours of negotiating with the person, KCK officers were able to end the situation with the assistance of the FBI and the Lenexa Police Department, according to the spokesman. The individual was taken to a local hospital for medical evaluation and the children were released to the family after being evaluated by medical staff.
Chronic stress that is related to repeated exposures to traumatic events is a heavy burden for first responders, the KCK police spokesman stated.
According to the spokesman, a USA Today article has cited a Ruderman Family Foundation study that showed that post-traumatic stress disorder and the national rates of suicide among first responders has been an issue for many years, but very little has been done to address it. First responders have PTSD and depression at a level about five times that of civilians, according to the study. More firefighters and police officers committed suicide last year than died in the line of duty, according to the study.