Does Police Wellness Matter?
I can’t shake it. I had a phone conversation with a police association which shall remain anonymous and I just can’t stop thinking about it.
I was invited to instruct but was made aware that the class would be cancelled if there wasn’t interest.
**insert eye twitch**
Story time: When I was first starting out in the field of officer wellness, I lost 2 training opportunities because only a few people signed up.
This wasn’t coming from police agencies - you know, the “bad guys”. These were associations made up of active and retired officers!
These kinds of decisions send a clear message: Wellness Doesn’t Actually Matter - It’s a Box We Check. And, if you think you don’t have the privilege of focusing on a new initiative but I promise you,
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
- Benjamin Franklin
Whether you’re police or non-police, the truth of the matter is that the quality of law enforcement interaction rides on the wellness of each individual officer. Remember, it’s possible to have a highly trained, uniquely qualified officer while simultaneously having an officer who is unpredictable, distracted who was severely burnt out 10 years ago.
If it matters, make it matter. Book wellness training and make it mandatory, book resiliency training and keep it regardless of attendance, just start doing more of it.
If you’re looking for a suggestion on how to bring in more wellness, think about playing this TacMobility Stretch Video during your next briefing.
I’m Erica Gaines, CEO/Founder of TacMobility and a huge advocate for officer wellness. After meeting over 100,000 police officers, I knew I had to help with The #1 Cop Killer in America: Suicide.
