The Herndon, Virginia Police Department requested a one-day onsite officer wellness training. BJA NTTAC denied this request due to travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The inherent duties and responsibilities of law enforcement includes stress and the potential for trauma associated with duty-related exposures to graphic scenes, violent encounters, and critical incidents. Recent studies regarding the psychological effects on first responders concluded that police officers experience multiple traumatic exposures each year over the course of their career in comparison to the general population’s exposure to traumatic events. This places police officers at-risk for depression/anxiety, sleep deprivation, alcohol/drug dependency, thoughts of suicide, PTSD, etc., just to name a few. The events of 2020, including the COVID-19 pandemic, widespread civil unrest, calls for police reform and defunding, increased verbal and physical assaults on police, and the continuous negative media attention have only exacerbated the ill effects on officers’ physical and mental health. Physical and mental wellness for police officers must be a priority and preemptive. The department recognizes the persistent risks on officers’ health and is striving to make a positive impact by offering a holistic approach in wellness programs that will enhance officers’ physical and mental health.
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The events of 2020 have severely impacted the law enforcement profession and efforts to recognize the offsetting health effects on officers who continue to serve or are new to the profession is critical. Legislation and negative public outcry have brought about new mandates in law enforcement actions and training but have done little to address the need for wellness programs for an industry that is fundamentally exposed to stress and trauma. Providing physical and mental wellness tools to those who serve and protect is an important component of improving human performance and decision making.