The call came into Deputy Keith Overby of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department: an 11-year-old reportedly pointing a shotgun at neighbors.
Arriving on the scene, Overby encountered the mother who alerted him her son was 10, not 11.
Overby stood across from the gun-totting child in a standoff few could fathom. The child ran and hid, still holding the weapon.
‘When he turned and ran, I wondered if I’d made a mistake. I’d never forgive myself if he shot someone else,? Overby said.
The child finally dropped the gun after the arrival of the K-9 unit, and according to the report, everyone involved left the scene unharmed.
The incident affected Overby deeply, causing reflection on several high-stakes incidents over his 29-year career. His training produced the intended positive results, but the words ‘case closed? do not mean ‘over? for everyone.
Katy, Overby’s wife, noticed a difference immediately.
‘The incident seemed to shake him. He reassessed where he was at and what he was doing. We thought about how to improve the system,? Katy Overby said.
Overby’s first step involved understanding and coping. He struggled with the mind set necessitated by the situation. Based on his training he made the decision to shoot the armed ten-year-old if the safety of others was jeopardized.
Overby stressed the effectiveness of his training, but could not ignore the ripple effect felt by those involved.
‘The point has been made that technically there was a positive outcome, but there was an emotional price for excellent training; there’s a void,? Katy Overby said.
Realizing the emotional impact, Overby pondered the many unaddressed problems in society.
‘Management did the best they could with what they had. When our community changes, our training needs to change. We have a more violent society.? Overby said.
Afterwards, the ‘just move on? attitude, common in many areas of law enforcement, irritated Overby.
‘There’s an old school ‘get over it? mentality of ‘put-up and shut-up.? That’s wrong. That’s not being proactive or progressive in your training.? Overby said.
In his attempts to cope, Overby read On Combat by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, Ret. U.S. Army, which helped Overby handle the internal turmoil of dealing with a 10-year-old who intended to use deadly force.
While writing a letter for his union newsletter regarding the incident, Overby decided to write a book addressing the problems he thinks caused the incident. The book, still in draft form, attempts to reach people in similar situations and further dialogue about trauma experienced by police officers.
‘Writing was a self-healing process. I was on an immense emotional roller-coaster after the incident. In law enforcement we’re trained to shoot, kill and save lives, but not cope. We’re not trained for this with children,? Overby said.
Overby could not cite any one reason for the increasing cases of youth violence he sees.
‘One thing that grabbed my attention was a lack of parental involvement in what kids are doing. Kids then resort to computer games, television, chat rooms and other influences. They are becoming completely desensitized to violence and in many cases have no value for human life,? Overby said.
Overby mentioned the possibility of a societal trend producing children with violent streaks.
‘You have to let children be children. Youth experience has expanded to so many adult topics and information. I never had to do that as a kid,? Overby said.
After having served in the Marine Corps from 1971-1974 and as a police officer in Oakland County since 1976, Overby wanted to make a difference.
Katy saw the effect and urged her husband to pursue his ideas.
‘You’re always heartbroken to see someone you love suffer. I could see Keith suffering. Looking at the big picture, as a parent you realize the enormity of the problem. The only solution we could come up with was to be proactive,? Katy Overby said.
With Katy’s support, Overby scheduled a two-day deadly aggression seminar this November 2 and 3 in the Colombiere Conference Center, located at 9075 Big Lake Road in Springfield Township.
The first day will be for law enforcement officers, clergy, probation officers and other various related professionals. Teachers, medical professionals and the general public are welcomed the second day.
The keynote speaker will be Lt. Col. Grossman, U.S. Army (Ret.), Director of the Killology Research Group, and the author whose book impacted Overby. Grossman is an internationally recognized expert on deadly aggression, the physiology of threat and the systematic effects impacting reaction and outcome.
Overby hopes admission will be free, if enough charity sponsorship and donation is secured. More information will be provided closer to the event. Those interested in donating or attending should contact Keith Overby at 248-620-3006.