Law Enforcement and Mental Health
A quick google search for “law enforcement mental health” returns two different types of results. The first is training for officers to recognize, understand and respond to people suffering or dealing with mental health issues. The other results are websites, programs and services available to law enforcement administrators and officers to ensure mental wellness and stability. In the final report that came from President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, both the training of officers and caring for officers are emphasized in the six main topic areas or “pillars.” For officers to adequately and appropriately provide services to the public, they must first be healthy and adequately trained.
Pillar Five titled “Training & Education” emphasizes proper training of officers suggesting “mandatory Crisis Intervention Training (CIT), which equips officers to deal with individuals in crisis or living with mental disabilities, as part of both basic recruit and in-service officer training.” Also recommended is leadership development programs that encompass a wide variety of areas to include mental health issues. The report suggests that “line officers are more likely to adopt procedures or change practices if they are advised to do so by managers who also model the behavior they encourage.” (Final Report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, 2015)
Pillar Six addresses issues related to “Officer Wellness and Safety” and calls out the current law enforcement culture and suggests “the most important factor to consider when discussing wellness and safety is the culture of law enforcement, which needs to be transformed.” (Final Report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, 2015) Transformation is needed to overturn the tradition of suffering in silence and encouraging officers to seek help.
For an agency to make the mental wellness of their officers a priority, the focus and discussion has to start with the top leaders and make its way all the way down to the lowest ranking officer.
- Policy:Administrators must implement policy to encourage officer to seek necessary help and assure them there will be no negative consequences. Leaders cannot be afraid to approach the subject and should do so from the perspective of helping the officers as opposed to punishing the officers. Additionally, focus should be placed on total wellness not just the officers’ physical and mental wellbeing, but the wellbeing of their family members. Resources for leaders and administrators can be found on the IACP Mental Wellness website, such as model policies, a vicarious trauma toolkit for leaders, as well as information for family and financial wellness. (Mental Wellness, n.d.)
- Discuss:To change the culture, the formal and informal leaders of the agency must engage officers in frank, open discussions about the issue of mental wellness. The more it is discussed, the less taboo it will become. PoliceOne.com says that ” Making the conversation about mental health normal and routine goes a long way toward erasing stigma.” (Olson & Wasilewski, n.d.)
- Train:Mandating trauma-informed training for law enforcement, at both recruit and in-service can work twofold. This type of training will enhance the officer’s interaction with the public, but it can also show officers how trauma could potentially affect them. Delivered properly and with the appropriate amount of emphasis, interaction and time, this training can start conversations among officers and make the subject less taboo.
- Provide:If an agency has mandatory physical fitness tests or medical evaluations, consideration should be given to implementing access to mental health check-ups for officers. The Task Force Report stresses that current practice is to provide reactionary counseling, only after an incident occurs. Preventative counseling is critical “Because officers are exposed to a wide range of stressors on a continuous basis as part of their daily routines, mental and physical health check-ups should be conducted on an ongoing basis.” (Final Report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, 2015) While some question “mandatory” counseling and its benefits, there is no question that counseling for law enforcement officers has value. Agencies must provide access to employee assistance programs (EAP), peer counselors and Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) teams. These services, coupled with trained and informed supervisors and appropriate agency policy, can encourage and facilitate officers’ access to professional help.
(2015). Final Report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. Office of Community Orriented Policing Services. Retrieved from https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/taskforce/taskforce_finalreport.pdf
Mental Wellness. (n.d.). Retrieved from IACP.org: http://www.theiacp.org/COSW-Mental-Health
Olson, A., & Wasilewski, M. (n.d.). Suffering in silence: Mental health and stigma in policing. Retrieved from PoliceOne.com: https://www.policeone.com/police-products/human-resources/articles/218917006-Suffering-in-silence-Mental-health-and-stigma-in-policing/