Law enforcement training begins with pre-employment psychological screening. Something I have been trained to do. I take it very seriously; because I know how tough police work has become in this 21st century. Officers must also undergo a physical examination to assure that the need for physical fitness is not overlooked at the beginning of one’s career.

According to Hartley, et.al., 2007, “repeated exposures to acute work stressors (e.g., violent criminal acts, sad and disturbing situations, and physically demanding responses), in addition to contending with negative life events (e.g., divorce, serious family or personal illness, and financial difficulties), can affect both the psychological and physiological well-being of the LEO population.” When these officers are identified there needs to be a planned response using a peer support infrastructure that provides for a continuum of service depending upon the individual needs of the LEO and the supports available. In many agencies, especially smaller departments lacking resources, officers’ languish and sometimes spiral downward without support and without somewhere to turn. 

Acupuncture has been shown to lower the bodies reactivity and stress response. The protocol is called “running with fire”. For both veterans and law enforcement personnel, the Mass School of Pharmacy offers free Acupuncture sessions at Saint Andrew’s Church in Framingham on Saturdays. I went there on Saturday mornings for a few years before retirement.

As officers learn the basics of police service, it often comes down to the quality of the field training to shape the wellness model in advance of the depression and anxiety that accompany chronic exposure to the traumatic events the future holds.

Police officers must have support available to them long before they are expressing suicidal urges. Stigma toward officers who report having mental health symptoms remains a barrier to wellness.

Police academies are starting to build curriculum in officer wellness training including mindfulness and stress awareness. But police recruits are hard charging warriors and should have these resources drilled into them as they embark on what some say is a front row ticket to the best show on earth.