Janice Reynolds

SUCCESS STORY

Featuring: Former NYPD Lieutenant Janice Reynolds

GREETINGS JANICE

Janice Reynolds has found solace living in the 321 since 2017. She was born in Queens, NY and started working as a Police Officer in 1989 for the New York Police Department where she served for 21 years before retiring as a Lieutenant. After retirement, she went to nursing school to become a Registered Nurse, was remarried to a wonderful man, gained 2 stepchildren, and together had a beautiful daughter. They relocated to Melbourne, FL in 2017. She proudly served with the Melbourne PD before going over the causeway to Indian Harbour Beach PD where she was a corporal for 2 years, then the pandemic hit! Feeling guilty about not being in the medical field during the crisis and after reaching a pinnacle in her law enforcement career, she hung up her badge and went back to nursing and is currently working at Healthfirst Viera in the Ortho Joint Center as a medical surgical nurse.

If you did the math, you’ll notice within her 21 years as a NY Police Officer, she was there when one of the most horrific events in the United States happened, 09/11. At that time, she was a Sergeant in the 83rd Precinct in Brooklyn. She remembers that day like yesterday.

I know I don’t have to set the scene for anyone who was alive to remember that day, so I won’t. However, I will set the scene from Janice’s perspective. She lived just about 20 miles from the 83rd Precinct, and the precinct was located 10 miles from the World Trade Center.

On September 10th, she worked a patrol shift from 4pm-12am and due to some marital problems at the time, she didn’t get to bed til 5am on the 11th. Her, now ex-husband, was a Brooklyn Narcotics Detective and left for work early that morning. While sleeping, she kept hearing the phone ringing but didn’t get up to answer it. She also could hear some chatter on her police radio, but again, she was sleeping and not on duty. It wasn’t until she could make out a voicemail left by her ex-husband, which was directing her to turn on the TV because the World Trade Center was on fire, then she jumped up. She turned the TV on and witnessed the first tower collapse. On the bottom line of the screen, she saw they were mobilizing the entire NYPD. She immediately ran upstairs, took a shower, not knowing when she would be able to shower again, packed enough for 3 days, jumped in her car, and sped off. What was usually a 40-minute commute to the department, took 2 hours. They had shut the entire city down at the Queens border. Once she hit the Parkway, they opened it up only to PD, and she was able to reach speeds of 100 mph getting from Queens to Brooklyn.

When she arrived at the 83rd Precinct everything was down, no phones and no radio contact. It was feared all their upper command staff were dead. They could see all the smoke, both towers were gone, they knew those working that morning were already dispatched to go there, but there was radio silence. Luckily, they were all at the scene and alive. Janice and other patrol officers made it to what we now refer to as “Ground Zero” later that evening. A designated ‘crime scene’, they were trying to keep as many people out as possible. Their job was to protect the perimeter. It started out as a rescue and recovery mission and then switched to just recovery. She admits though, those working the perimeter, it was hard to just stand there and not dig, so they dug!

Over the course of the next 2-1/2 months, she and her ex-husband were among those that went in on their days off. They would work the ‘bucket brigade’ for 13-14 hours a day, come home too exhausted to even shower, sleep a few hours and then go back. These bucket lines were set up as long assembly lines. Buckets traveled down the lines, and they were being filled up with things found while digging in the rubble, anything from IDs, personal artifacts, and even human remains. The buckets would then be sifted through. It was a long tedious process that wasn’t taken lightly.

During this recovery process, Janice, and her group, found a body of a man and next to him, she discovered identification cards and from the information on the ID, she knew this was the person they had found.

America Online was a popular resource during that time and had set up a separate condolence page for each state. She knew he was from New Jersey, so she searched and found him. She typed a condolence to his family, not knowing if anyone would ever see it, but she did it to appease her mind and if they happened to see it, she wanted to assure them he didn’t suffer.

Not too long after, she was notified a Chaplain from Cranberry, NJ left her a message. She knew no one in Cranberry, other than the man she had found. She called back and was told the family read her condolence and would like to meet her, for closure. She agreed. She met with the family, his wife, kids, brother, mother and father. They were curious about how he was found and, more than anything, wanted closure. Janice was able to assure the family he did not suffer. She has also visited his gravesite, which happened to be in Long Island not far from where she lived. On the one-year anniversary she received a call, and on the caller ID was the individual’s name, which she admits freaked her out a bit at first, but when answered, realized it was the family calling and wanted her to know they were grateful. Janice wanted to offer this family peace because in the end, this was a man who just came into the city expecting to work that day and never made it home.

During the next 2 months, Janice was appreciative of her in-laws and neighbors who helped care for her 4 dogs while she worked those long shifts both on duty and as a volunteer. She also knows because she was not at Ground Zero and still had her regular police duties to fulfill, she is alive today. She wasn’t there around-the-clock, 7 days a week breathing in all the toxic fumes, like some of her other coworkers. It was, if not still is, the longest burning fire in American history. She reported she just remembered it burning for so long, and the smell of it, she’ll never forget.

In the 22 years since, Janice has personally known upwards of 25 people who have passed away because of working Ground Zero. One she was close with, just passed away 2 years ago from breast cancer as a side effect of the toxicity. What hits closer to home, she was 10 years younger than Janice and had a daughter just 1 year older than Janice’s daughter. This officer was only 23 years old and a rookie cop on 09/11, and her life was dramatically changed after. She fully believes those who’ve died and are now sick and dying today, would do it all again. They do not feel like heroes. They feel they were just doing their jobs, what they were called to do and would do it all over again.

ENJOY JANICE’S RESPONSES

TOP 3 SUCCESSFUL COPING & SURVIVAL TIPS

Stick Together
When you go through a major tragedy like 09/11, you learn to stick together. We were already a tight knit precinct, our department was extremely close, extended family. In the aftermath of 09/11, we became that much closer. We did everything together. We took trips together and spent time at each other’s houses. We attended weddings and BBQ’s, we did group things, and admittedly probably did more drinking than we should have. We found comfort in each other, we shared stories, and we celebrated each other. We all went through the same thing, some on different levels, but we found in sticking together and being able to talk to each other, that helped in the coping process. You had to find something, or you would lose your mind, it was that simple.

Move On
Do other things, find something outside of thinking about the tragedy day in and day out. I found it as an incentive to study and move up in the ranks. I chose for it to become motivation and move on, rather than sit in despair.

Most people do not know my past in the NYPD, I don’t talk about it a lot. If they learn about it, it’s usually from an off comment they hear. Like the other day, I was in a room with another nurse and the patient happened to be a cop. They had mentioned something, and I mentioned what it was like as a NY cop, and my co-worker was surprised and had no idea I was a former cop, let alone one from NY!

Don’t Be a Hero
As a survival tip for untrained, non-law enforcement individuals, in time of tragedy, don’t try to be a hero! If you find yourself in a dangerous situation, just get yourself and someone else around you to safety as quickly as possible. Let those who are trained and have the weapons to protect do their job. Otherwise, you most likely are going to get yourself killed or get in the way of the officers trying to do what they’re trained to do.

Don’t engage with the person creating the chaos. If you are in an ‘explosion or bomb’ situation, there’s ALWAYS more than one. If one goes off, get the hell out!! Be vigilant and always on the lookout. Report unusual things, tell someone about it and don’t touch it!

Just CALL 911 if you see something happening or know of something! Nowadays, there are too many people recording violence rather than using their phones to call for help!

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

I can definitely improve on my anxiety. I’ve always had the fear of trying something new and feeling I’m not good enough or too old to do something. I continue to work on becoming better in that department.

INSPIRATION BEHIND THE JOURNEY

I want my daughter to be proud of me! Mostly, I don’t like being told I can’t do something…and if I am, I’m like watch me! That’s ultimately how I rose in ranks to Lieutenant in NYPD. I was told I couldn’t, and I did!

FINAL THOUGHTS

Don’t let someone say you can’t do something, go off and try it for yourself!

Don’t take no for an answer – Keep Fighting!

THANK YOU JANICE

Thank you, Janice, for sharing your story with my readers on how to successfully cope after a tragedy and learning to live life to the fullest. Janice is someone who ALWAYS has a smile on her face, and I admire her for that. She is someone who I never would have guessed had been through such a life-altering experience. What she saw during those months, what she endured, smelt, and found, not to mention all the friends and co-workers she has lost since then, she has not succumbed to a ‘victim’ status when she very easily could, instead she has chosen to keep living life and keeps a SMILE on her face.

I hope y’all can learn from her, when faced with the unthinkable STICK TOGETHER with those who may have experienced the same, MOVE ON from the event, and when faced with danger, find SAFETY immediately, and use your phone to CALL 911!!! If you are fortunate to survive something tragic, remember to find your SMILE, surviving and coping is success too!

TOP 10

First Aid Kit Supplies

It’s important to have a First Aid Kit on hand, at your home and even in your car. You never know when you or someone else may need it.

Top 10 essentials for a First Aid Kit:

• Surgical scissors

• Tweezers

• Sterile gauze dressing/pad

• Latex gloves/ disposable gloves

• Elastic bandage

• Adhesive tape/ safety pin

• Gauze roll & pads

• Different bandages (butterfly, standard bandage, knuckle bandage)

• Triangular bandage

• Antiseptic pads/ antibiotic ointment
   

ATHLETES

Recovering from Injuries

Like a cop knowing the risks of the job, an athlete also takes risks. An athlete goes in knowing the risks of possibly getting hurt. You train, practice, and build your body to be strong to prevent injuries. But with anything, there is a chance of failure and becoming injured no matter what precautions you take.

As an athlete it’s almost inevitable to not deal with an injury at some point in your career, rather it be just a pulled muscle that might be a day or 2 off or a sprain needing 6 weeks off, or worst-case a surgery that could have a year or longer recovery period. Whatever may be the case, YOU can get through it.

I’m a firm believer everything happens for a reason, even injuries, sadly enough. It may be what you need to slow down for just a second and reevaluate your situation and life. It may be that you got hurt now, sparingly, because a bigger injury was on the horizon if you kept continuing in the manner you were.

Whatever the case may be, take it for what it is, accept it, and MOVE ON! Work hard in the recovery process. Find ways to continue making your non-injured body parts stay strong. Get stronger mentally. Take this down time to learn the game better from a mental side. Study game film. Study YouTube videos on the greats. Learn how they overcame their setbacks.

You can use this recovery time to also reflect on what’s really important to you. Is the sport in which you got injured in, something that you really want to continue to pursue. Is it your passion? If you find that it isn’t, IT’S OK!! Maybe this is your sign to ‘retire’ from it and move on to something different. Maybe you have another passion you want to pursue, and this particular sport was getting in the way of it. Maybe now is the time to try something new…and that’s OK!

However, in this downtime, if you truly miss the sport, you were playing and you know that’s your passion, then by golly do EVERYTHING in your means to get back to it and come back stronger than ever! Don’t miss practices unless it’s for physical therapy or other recovery process. You can still be a part of the team. Help the coach, shag balls if able, be a motivator for the team. Missing practices to just sit at home and sulk is unacceptable! Go to practice. Sit on the bench and watch, listen. You’re still a part of the team, and you’d be missing out on valuable team talks and strategies.

As an athlete, YOU are STRONGER than your injury! Roll up those sleeves and put in the work to get better and get back on whatever playing field you wish to be on!

PARENTS

Teach Preparedness

It’s never too late to teach your children to be prepared if tragedy should ever strike. Teach them age-appropriate precautions. When they’re super young, teach them about strangers and code words. Don’t be afraid to share with them there are dangers in the world.

As they grow older, teach them about vigilance and to pay attention to their surroundings. We’ve taught our kids when they go to a crowded place, such as a concert, an athletic event, or even a restaurant, to figure out what the ‘normal’ sounds are associated with the venue. If they should hear anything aside from those ‘normal’ sounds, they need to take cover or find safety immediately. We’ve also taught them in those same situations, when they get to a venue, to make sure they know where the exits are in coordination to where they are sitting/standing. They’ve been taught to look for those upon arrival, and formulate an exit strategy ahead of time, rather than trying to figure it out in a time of panic.

Just as you would prepare your family for a hurricane, prepare them for unfortunate life events. It is better for your kids to be aware than be oblivious.

LIFE

Coping

Life happens, for better or for worse, it happens! You can plan, you can pray, you can do whatever it is you think will protect you and your loved ones from awful things, but in the end…life still happens!

When faced with adversity, learn from it and MOVE on! Everyone goes through something in their life, some more so than others!

Don’t become a victim to the circumstance. Grow from it and help others who may have suffered the same.

There are support groups for reasons. Oftentimes, people think they are alone and that no one feels their pain, or has been what they have been through, or seen what they have seen, or experienced what they have experienced. If you look hard enough, I can assure you, you’re not alone.

If you have experienced something traumatic and no one else in your immediate family or friend circle has, you may find it difficult to talk to them and/or them talk to you about it, and both parties must realize it’s understandable. This is when you need to look outside of those circles and find someone or a group that may have the same experiences as you. You may find it easier to open up to those with similar experiences, they can help you and you can help them.

There are online support groups and some on social media. Sometimes just following pages that coincide with your trauma help you to see you’re not alone. You don’t necessarily have to engage with the conversations, but you can follow the posts and comments and see what everyone else is saying and how they might be dealing with situations. In time, you may feel comfortable joining in on a conversation as well. Some support groups are private and require you to answer a few questions before joining, just to ensure it’s someone truly needing to come into the circle and not just trolls.

In the end, life is all about coping. Coping with negative outcomes, coping with death, and coping with tragedy. If you can’t cope, you become a victim of the circumstance and it controls you. Learn to find healthy coping mechanisms and take control of your life! Learn to BE HAPPY and MOVE ON from whatever life throws at you.

YOU CAN DO IT!