By Jeff Winter, CNN
(CNN) — When Greg Pryer served in the Marine Corps three decades ago and then worked as a New York City police officer who experienced the trauma of September 11, alcohol was his go-to coping mechanism.
After retiring from the NYPD in 2015, his drinking habit only worsened, he said. Without the job, he had no structure or direction, just time, memories and the bottle.
“I went from being a veteran and being in law enforcement, over 20 years of really having an obvious purpose, and retirement somewhat stripped me of my identity,” said Pryer, who retired as a sergeant. “All I had, in a way, was my alcohol to deal with it.”
With liquor running his life, Pryer was arrested in 2019 on weapons and driving while intoxicated charges, and again in 2022 on similar weapons charges, in New York’s Suffolk County, on Long Island. He had been in courtrooms plenty of times as a cop. Being in one as a defendant was a difficult reality to accept.
Because of his military service, Pryer was eligible to have his cases transferred to the Suffolk County Veterans Treatment Court. A specialized part of the local court system, vets court helps troubled service members get into drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs and mental health counseling in lieu of doing jail time. Veterans who complete their court-monitored treatments can have their sentences reduced, or charges dropped.
“Yes, it’ll help out your legal situation, but it’s also a chance to work on yourself, whatever that underlying issue that brought you into the legal system to begin with,” Pryer said. “It’s really a blessing that the court picked me up.”
For 15 years, hundreds of struggling vets like Pryer have received a lifeline through Suffolk’s veterans treatment court, run by those who served just like they did. Today, nearly 750 similar programs are found in 49 states, according to Department of Veterans Affairs data.
Like so many fellow veterans, Pryer was not aware of the treatment court’s existence until he wound up in the criminal justice system.
“I had to learn the hard way,” Pryer said.
The judge doesn’t wear a robe
The country’s first specialized court for vets started in 2008 in Buffalo, New York. Two years later, Judge John Toomey, a Vietnam War combat veteran, worked with the Suffolk district attorney’s office, the local VA health care system and a small group of volunteers known as the Green Jackets to create the Suffolk County Veterans Treatment Court.
The idea was so new it had no set guidelines or rules, providing Toomey and company freedom to develop their operation from scratch. Toomey, a two-time recipient of the Bronze Star, set a casual tone: He didn’t wear a robe on the bench, knew veteran defendants by name, and talked with their families about life at home. He even gave out his phone number.
“You had to put your trust that this is going to work out, and that this (person) is going to do the right thing,” Toomey said.
It worked because the veterans in the program wanted to get better. Toomey said they could have gone through the regular court system, served a few months of jail time and gone right back to what they were doing before their arrest.
The court accepts vets arrested for a gamut of crimes, including driving while intoxicated, misdemeanor and felony drug charges, robbery and criminal possession of weapons.
“They made the decision they want to turn their lives around. They’re sick of what’s going on,” Toomey said. “It gives you an advantage in helping them.”
To ensure accountability, the DA’s office developed a screening process to evaluate eligibl