• Promote openness and support for mental health and suicide awareness
• Constant messaging that our occupational trauma and stress are not unusual
• Assurance that there is no stigma associated with seeking help
• Have a plan on how to accept those who sought help back into the organization
• Have clarity on when , how , and if you should remove a person ’ s gun and / or badge
• Have therapists who are readily available and most importantly , can provide trauma informed care
• Ensure there are mentors within your organization who know how to respond to those in need
• Ensure that confidentiality is part of your process
• Ensure that you have psychologists embedded in your organization , or frequently visiting , to normalize the conversation about mental health
• Define the difference between the impact of a Recommendation and a Directive for a fitness for duty examination
• Ensure family is included in wellness initiatives and education around mental health resources
• Ensure Peer Support / Mentors are trained to ask the difficult questions
Police officers deserve a level of awareness , coherence in thought , and clarity that enhances performance and wellbeing . Paying attention to your mind and body is a critical resilience and performance skill . It is now undeniable that mindfulness meditation combined with compassion cultivation is one path towards becoming more resilient and increasing performance efficacy . These practices will serve law enforcement officers and our communities well when responding to a stimulus in an environment with life or death hanging in the balance . None of us are immune to internal and external occupational stress and trauma . We live in the shadow of the next incident that will have negative repercussions on our agency , our characters , and our careers . We need to continuously nudge this culture in the direction of removing the stigma associated with mental health and suicide . I have learned over that past six years that sharing my story and being vulnerable gave others courage to step forward . I learned we are all human , and in our humanity , as we extend service and unconditional love and support to others , we can and must also do it for ourselves .
We need to take care of the Human Behind the Badge . ■
REFERENCES FURTHER INFORMATION
De la Fuente Solana , E . I ., Aguayo Extremera , R ., Vargas Pecino , C ., & Cañadas de la Fuente , G . R . ( 2013 ). Prevalence and risk factors of burnout syndrome among Spanish police officers . Psicothema , 25 ( 4 ), 488 – 493 .
Haute , M . V . & Violanti , J . M . ( 2015 ). Suicide Among Public Safety Officials is Rising Dramatically .
Rajaratnam , S . W ., Brager , L . K ., Lockley , S . W ., Shea , S . A ., Wang , W ., Landrigan , C . P ., & Czeisler , C . A . ( 2011 ). Sleep disorders , health and safety in police officers . Journal of the American Medical Association , 306 ( 23 ), 2567 – 2578 . doi : 10.1001 / jama . 2011.1851 .
Seppala , E . M ., Nitschke , J . B ., Tudorascu , D . L ., Hayes , A ., Goldstein , M . R ., Nguyen , D . T . H ., Perlman , D ., & Davidson , R . J . ( 2014 ). Breathing-based meditation decreases posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in U . S . military veterans : A randomized controlled longitudinal study . Journal of Traumatic Stress , 27 , 397-405 .
www . BlueH . E . L . P .. org An organization that tracks police suicide
Suicide Prevention Hotline : 1-800-273-8255 Safe Call Now : 1-206-459-3020
www . mindfulbadge . com / resources Research articles on mindfulness relevant to policing . Training information for immersions and peer coach training ( UCSD ).
Mindful Magazine
www . mindful . org Online and print magazine with helpful information and resources on mindfulness practice .
Greater Good Science Center
https :// greatergood . berkeley . edu Research and education center for evidence-based skills around self-efficacy and community building .
https :// www . compassioninstitute . com “ Courageous Heart : The Human Behind the Badge ”
14 California Police Chief | www . californiapolicechiefs . org