MARCH 2020

Officer Safety and 

Wellness Group 

Meeting Summary

Addressing Four 

OSW Pillars in Smaller 

and Rural Communities
The opinions contained herein are those of the forum participants and do not necessarily represent the 

official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. References to specific agencies, companies, products, or services should not be considered an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice. 

Rather, the references are illustrations to supplement discussion of the issues. 

The internet references cited in this publication were valid as of the date of publication. Given that 

URLs and websites are in constant flux, neither the author(s) nor the COPS Office can vouch for their 

current validity. 

Recommended citation:

Simpson, Elizabeth. 2020. Addressing Four OSW Pillars in Smaller and Rural Communities. Officer 

Safety and Wellness Group Meeting Summary. Washington, DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.

Published 2020
MARCH 2020

Officer Safety and 

Wellness Group 

Meeting Summary

Addressing Four 

OSW Pillars in Smaller 

and Rural Communities

Contents

Letter from the Directors of BJA and the COPS Office.

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.

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.

.

.

.

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v

Acknowledgments vi

History of the Officer Safety and Wellness Group vii

Overview of the March 2020 Meeting on OSW in Smaller and Rural Communities 1

Addressing Safety and Tactical Care, Physical Health, and Mental Wellness 9

Safety and tactical care 10

Physical health and wellness 12

Mental health and wellness 17

Conclusion 25

About the Bureau of Justice Assistance 27

About the COPS Office 28

Letter from the 

Directors of BJA 

and the COPS Office

Colleagues: 

Since 2011, the Officer Safety and Wellness (OSW) Group has worked to improve the health and 

well-being of the men and women of our nation’s law enforcement agencies. In recent meetings, 

the group has focused on officer resilience; officer suicides; felonious assaults on officers; and 

mental health, peer support networks, crisis hotlines, and other programs to help address law 

enforcement health and safety.

In March 2020, the OSW Group convened to discuss law enforcement safety and wellness challenges that are unique to small and rural agencies—an essential conversation given that approximately 80 percent of U.S. law enforcement agencies have fewer than 20 officers. This meeting 

focused on addressing safety and tactical care via training and proper equipment; promoting 

physical health through testing, regular wellness visits, and fitness resources; and supporting 

mental wellness with confidential counseling, peer support groups, and other innovative and 

unconventional resources. Overall, the goal was to identify best practices, discuss research, and 

share strategies to improve holistic wellness for officers. The meeting participants also clearly 

highlighted several ways in which leadership should promote wellness among their staff.

BJA and the COPS Office are proud to partner in support of the OSW Group. We are grateful to the 

law enforcement officers, leaders, subject matter experts, and others who continue to offer their 

time and effort to the group’s work.. 

Sincerely,

Phil Keith

Director

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

v

Tracey Trautman

Acting Director

Bureau of Justice Assistance
vi

Acknowledgments

It is with great appreciation that we recognize the work of Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) staff 

members Deborah Meader and Hope Janke and Office of Community Oriented Policing Services 

(COPS Office) staff members Deborah Spence and Helene Bushwick, who together oversaw preparations for the March 2020 Officer Safety and Wellness Group meeting. We also extend our thanks 

to Chief Noel March, director of the Maine Community Policing Institute at the University of Maine 

at Augusta, for his excellent meeting facilitation and Mark Gifford of the SIDEM Group for managing 

the meeting logistics.

This meeting took place in the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, just days before large gathering restrictions went into effect around the country. We would like give our particular thanks to 

all the meeting participants who came that day, despite the many unknowns, to share their knowledge and experience. For that, we commend and salute them.
vii

History of the 

Officer Safety and 

Wellness Group

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services 

(COPS Office), both components of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), formed the national Officer Safety and Wellness (OSW) Group in 2011 to bring attention to the safety and wellness needs 

of law enforcement officers following a number of high-profile ambushes of police that resulted in 

officer fatalities. Since 2011, the OSW Group has raised awareness and increased knowledge about 

officer safety and wellness, and encouraged law enforcement agencies to adopt practices that recognize that their most valuable resource is the men and women who put their lives on the line 

every day to keep their communities safe. For this reason, it is critical that the OSW Group—with 

support from DOJ leadership—discuss, share, and promote the best possible strategies to keep our 

nation’s law enforcement officers safe on the job.

To that end, the OSW Group regularly brings together law enforcement practitioners, researchers, 

and subject matter experts (SME) to amplify new and existing practices designed to improve officer 

safety and wellness in the field. The goals of the OSW Group are

to create an enabling environment for law enforcement organizations and researchers to collaborate on improving officer safety and wellness;

to bring together law enforcement organizations and researchers to share knowledge and information about officer safety and wellness initiatives;

to broadly disseminate information and best practices to the law enforcement field.

The OSW Group identified 16 priority areas on which to focus, grouped under four main themes:

I. Operational and emergency responses

1. Injuries and deaths from gunfire

2. Premeditated and unprovoked ambushes

3. Rifle, long-gun, and assault weapon threats

4. Task force operations (federal and local)

5. Offender history and behavior during incident

6. Court security
viii Addressing Four OSW Pillars in Smaller and Rural Communities

II. Leadership and management

1. Leadership and safety practices

2. Equipment

3. Deployment strategies and communication technologies

III. Mental and physical health and wellness

1. Physical health (i.e., addressing common health conditions)

2. Psychological health

3. Maintaining good health

4. Former military in law enforcement

IV. Training

1. Education and training

2. Emergency vehicle operation and safety

3. Foot pursuit safety

Since 2011, the OSW Group has discussed critical officer safety and wellness issues at regular meetings and produced publications that encourage law enforcement agencies nationwide to adopt 

a culture that recognizes and elevates the value of officer safety and wellness. The COPS Office, in 

partnership with BJA, continues to provide agencies with a variety of tools and technical assistance 

on relevant topics necessary to respond effectively to the persistent OSW challenges facing law 

enforcement agencies today. To that end, the March 9, 2020 OSW group meeting focused on the 

unique challenges of officer safety and wellness in smaller and rural communities. The four pillars of 

OSW—physical health, mental wellness, injury prevention, and trauma care—were systematically 

addressed with insights, personal anecdotes, and data-driven research within the lens of small and 

rural agencies across the country. 

This publication serves as an official summary of the Spring 2020 meeting and seeks to provide 

readers with critical information, promising practices, and recommendations from the law enforcement leaders and officers, researchers and subject matter experts (SMEs) who participated in the 

event. The consensus was that when first responders have the tools and support they need to care 

for themselves and manage the stress and trauma of their jobs, the benefits have far-reaching positive effects on their personal and professional lives, as well as the lives of the community they serve. 
1

Overview of the 

March 2020 

Meeting on OSW 

in Smaller and Rural 

Communities

C

ontrary to the public perception of police and sheriff departments as large agencies with dozens of officers in multiple precincts, specialized detectives, and the latest technology available 

to solve crimes, approximately 80 percent of the law enforcement agencies in the country have 

fewer than 20 officers, and half of U.S. departments have fewer than 10 officers. Further, approximately 70 percent serve communities of fewer than 10,000 people.1

 For example, meeting participant 

Robert Martin is the chief of the Snowflake (Arizona) Police Department, an agency of 21 people, 

comprising 15 police officers, a clerk, and five dispatchers. The agency is responsible for policing the 

towns of both Snowflake and Taylor, Arizona—communities with a total population of approximately 

10,000 people who live over a combined area of 65 square miles.2

“I appreciate the administration’s shift toward focusing on rural 

law enforcement. Rural law enforcement agencies face different 

types of challenges, including recruiting and grant funding.”

– Mike Costigan, Then-Acting Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance

1. Brian A. Reaves, Local Police Departments, 2013: Personnel, Policies, and Practices (Washington, DC: 

Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2015), 1, https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/lpd13ppp.pdf.

2. “Police Department,” Town of Snowflake, Arizona, accessed March 2020, http://ci.snowflake.az.us/

departments/police-department/.
2 Addressing Four OSW Pillars in Smaller and Rural Communities

The group facilitator, Noel March, director of the Maine Community Policing Institute, guided the 

opening discussion on law enforcement safety and wellness challenges that are unique to small 

and rural agencies, as well as identifying issues that are relevant to all agencies, regardless of size or 

location. The group shared their experiences as career law enforcement professionals; observations 

about agency structure; and the needs of state, local, and federal agencies. 

Several group members voiced concern about the lack of trusted resources to support the physical 

and mental health of officers. As one participant noted, “Even if I wanted help, the resources around 

me aren’t available.” This can be particularly challenging in rural communities that are often health 

care deserts. As was reported in The Washington Post in September 2019, almost 80 percent 

of rural America is medically underserved and 

“home to 20 percent of the U.S. population but 

fewer than 10 percent of its doctors, and that ratio is worsening each year” as rural doctors retire 

and are not replaced.3

 This shortage of clinicians in rural America extends to the mental health specialty as well. The Kaiser Family Foundation tracks mental health care health professional shortage 

areas (HPSAs) based on a population-to-provider ratio of 30,000 to 1. The foundation reported in 

2019 a shortage of more than 6,000 mental health practitioners nationwide.4

Within the law enforcement community, these general shortages are exacerbated by the need for 

culturally competent practitioners. Officers need access to health care providers who understand 

the physical and emotional challenges of policing. This is particularly true in the mental health 

arena, where officers have long expressed reservations about talking to clinicians who do not 

understand the job.

The lack of culturally competent clinicians has perhaps never been so acute, as historically the 

stigma surrounding mental health kept officers from seeking assistance. But at the OSW meeting, 

numerous attendees commented on how that has been changing dramatically in recent years. As 

one attendee said, “Never in my 

career have I seen officers raising a white flag, saying we need 

help. It makes us uncomfortable 

and vulnerable.” The group also 

noted that officers’ need for a space for self-care extended beyond clinical care. For example, while 

larger departments may provide workout facilities for their officers, smaller agencies or those covering large areas of land are less likely to do so. Thus, officers are less likely to keep up with their 

3. Eli Saslow, “‘Out Here, It’s Just Me’: In the Medical Desert of Rural America, One Doctor for 11,000 Square Miles,” 

Washington Post, September 28, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/out-here-its-just-me/2019/09/28/

fa1df9b6-deef-11e9-be96-6adb81821e90_story.html.

4. “Mental Health Care Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs),” Kaiser Family Foundation, last modified September 30, 2019, https://www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/mental-health-care-health-professional-shortage-areas-hpsas/.

Even if I wanted help, the resources 

around me aren’t available.

Never in my career have I seen officers raising 

a white flag, saying we need help. It makes us 

uncomfortable and vulnerable.
Overview of the March 2020 Meeting on OSW in Smaller and Rural Communities 3

physical fitness, as “officers working out at the local gym or rec center are worried that they have 

arrested everyone in there last night and must be on guard, regardless of exercising on shift or after 

their shift has ended.”

As the conversation moved from challenges to what agencies can do to increase access to and use 

of services, there was consensus that agency leadership plays an important role in the development of trusted relationships between community partners and the officers to support ongoing 

physical and mental health. Some agencies have embedded counselors within their departments 

to help the counselors understand the law enforcement world, and others have required annual 

visits to clinicians to help lessen the stigma. Faith leaders can also be invited into departments to 

provide support and counseling, either through a structured chaplaincy program or as volunteers. 

Again, the key is to build the relationship before a crisis or critical need arises.

Leadership also can support officers by modeling positive behaviors. One group member observed 

that in small agencies, the chief is often a “benevolent dictator” overseeing the staff. Not as far 

removed from officers and often working side by side with them on patrol, chiefs of small departments have the opportunity to talk about their own challenges and health maintenance routines. 

Many of the meeting participants also felt that in their smaller departments, the process for implementing new programs is relatively smooth, especially because the unions are typically on board. 

One attendee stated that “chiefs, executives, and leadership have more face time and more influence over a smaller agency than ones like the NYPD.” If the leader has a vested interest in thoughtfully rolling out these initiatives, a small or rural department is more likely to go along with the 

changes with an increased rate of success. The attendees also perceive that in larger agencies, more 

people and competing interests—including 

equal employment opportunity, the Americans 

with Disabilities Act, risk management standards, and the legal office—impact the implementation process. Regardless of agency size, 

the conversation stressed the importance of partnering with unions from the beginning to work in 

collaboration on new programs. Supporting the health and wellness of officers is common ground 

for labor and management.

One chief discussed his agency’s efforts to promote fitness for himself and his 40 sworn officers. 

In 2016, he started a physical fitness program that aligns a fitness test to standard duties of patrol 

work, such as running the length of their local hospital (1/4 mile), getting over a standard 4-foot 

school barrier wall, and being able to push a dead car out of a road. The agency partnered with a 

local personal trainer to develop the program and help officers succeed with two years of training 

prior to the initial fitness testing. The agency allows on-duty workouts and has a local gym contract 

for training the officers to succeed in the testing elements. The fitness test created mixed opinions, 

including some officers who wanted the standards as part of their union contract, but the agency 

wants to have the flexibility to adapt the standards over time as needed. Eventually the officers, 

Chiefs, executives, and leadership have 

more face time and more influence over a 

smaller agency than ones like the NYPD.
SIDEBAR HEAD

Sidebar Byline

4 Promoting Positive Coping Strategies in Law Enforcement

MARCH 2020 OSW GROUP MEETING AT TENDEES

Experts from the field

Troy Anderson

Sergeant, 

Emergency Services 

and Public Protection

Michael Brown

Director, 

Professional Development, 

National Sheriffs’ Association

David Bowen

Chief of Police, 

Great Falls (Montana) 

Police Department

Brett Cowell

Senior Project Associate, 

National Police Foundation

Robert Gregory Davis

Captain, 

Texas Department 

of Public Safety

Melissa Dawson

Sergeant, 

Cleveland (Ohio) Division 

of Police

Patty Dobbs Hodges

Senior Vice President, 

Institute for Intergovernmental Research

Andrea Edmiston

Director, 

Governmental Affairs, 

National Association of 

Police Organizations

Fred Farris

Chief of Police, 

Goddard (Kansas) 

Police Department

Frederick Frazier

Detective, 

Dallas (Texas) Police 

Department; 

Councilman, 

McKinney (Texas) City Council

Neil Gang

Chief of Police, 

Pinole (California) 

Police Department

Mike Goldstein

Public Safety Director 

and Chief of Police, 

Plymouth (Minnesota) 

Police Department

Michael Gooch

Police Sergeant, 

Wellness Unit, 

Metropolitan Nashville 

(Tennessee) Police Department

Rick Gramza

Chief of Police, 

Marshfield (Wisconsin) 

Police Department

Domingo Herraiz

Director of Programs, 

International Association 

of Chiefs of Police

David Kennington

Professional Wellness 

Section Manager, 

Metropolitan Nashville 

(Tennessee) Police Department

Noel March

Director, 

Maine Community 

Policing Institute

Robert Martin

Chief of Police, 

Snowflake-Taylor (Arizona) 

Police Department

John Matthews

Senior Director of 

Federal Partnerships, 

National Law Enforcement 

Officers Memorial Fund

Anthony Mazzola

Sheriff, 

Rio Blanco County (Colorado) 

Sheriff’s Office

Michael McHale

President, 

National Association 

of Police Organizations

Andrew Mendonsa

Senior Law 

Enforcement Consultant, 

California Peace Officer 

Standards and Training

Corey Nooner

Master Sergeant, 

Oklahoma City (Oklahoma) 

Police Department

Tim Richardson

Senior Legislative Liaison, 

Fraternal Order of Police
SIDEBAR HEAD

Sidebar Byline

Chapter Title5

Walter Rustmann, DO

Physician, Pulmonary, 

Critical Care, and 

Sleep Medicine

Jon Sheinberg, MD

Lieutenant, 

Cedar Park (Texas) 

Police Department

Kevin Shive

Chaplain, 

Golden (Colorado) Police 

Department and 

Denver Federal Bureau 

of Investigation; 

Executive Director, 

Rocky Mountain 

Police Chaplains

Jennifer Styles

Program Manager, 

International Association 

of Chiefs of Police

U.S. Department 

of Justice staff

Barry Bratburd

Acting Director, 

Office of Communications, 

Office of Justice Programs

Helene Bushwick

Supervisory Senior 

Policy Analyst, 

Office of Community 

Oriented Policing Services

Michael Costigan

Then-Acting Director, 

Bureau of Justice Assistance

Brandy Donini-Melanson

Program Manager, 

Law Enforcement 

Coordination Program, 

Executive Office for 

U.S. Attorneys

Hope Janke

Deputy Director, 

Office of Justice Programs

Phil Keith

Director, 

Office of Community 

Oriented Policing Services

Deborah Meader

Policy Advisor, 

Bureau of Justice Assistance

Claire Murray

Principal Deputy Associate 

Attorney General, 

U.S. Department of Justice

Deborah Spence

Assistant Director, 

Office of Community 

Oriented Policing Services

Matthew Varisco

Federal Program Manager, 

President’s Commission on 

Law Enforcement and the 

Administration of Justice
6 Addressing Four OSW Pillars in Smaller and Rural Communities

their union, and the agency reached an agreement: The contract covers reasonable accommodations and a 90-day retest policy. At the time of the OSW meeting, the agency had a pending grievance for dismissal based on failure to meet the fitness standards. 

The attendees were aware of the danger that a career in law enforcement can pose to one’s overall well-being—how this career as a whole can become more than a single traumatic event. One 

noted, “We take these young recruits right out of the academy, males and females who are probably in the best shape of their lives, and over the course of a 20- to 25-year career, the job takes 

a toll.” The conversation highlighted how law 

enforcement officers have an increased risk 

of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and 

a life expectancy that may be up to 22 years 

shorter than the general population. To be 

more specific about life expectancy rates, the 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

stipulate that the average mortality rate for 

men in this country is 79 years of age and for 

women, 82. For law enforcement officers, one 

study found that the average mortality rate is 57, which equates to more than two decades of life 

lost in service to the community.5

 The participants also talked about officers being at an increased 

risk of divorce and substance abuse.6

Just as prescription drug abuse is an issue for the general public, it is also a problem for law enforcement. For example, during PERF’s 2012 Town Hall Meeting, one chief described the incidence of 

oxycontin and oxycodone abuse he found in his department stemming from workplace injuries.7

Officers are reluctant to report illegal substance abuse for fear of job loss, but a 2014 Bureau of 

Labor Statistics survey found that law enforcement had the sixth highest rate of reported occupational injury among more than 600 industries. Up to 85 percent of workplace injury compensation 

claims included a prescription for opioid pain relievers, and if law enforcement use reflects the 

5. John M. Violanti et al., “Life Expectancy in Police Officers: A Comparison with the U.S. General 

Population,” International Journal of Emergency Mental Health 15, no. 4 (2013): 217–228, 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24707585/. 

6. James F. Ballenger et al., “Patterns and Predictors of Alcohol Use in Male and Female Urban Police 

Officers,” American Journal on Addictions 20, no. 1 (2011): 21–29, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1521-0391.2010.00092.x. 

7. “PERF Town Hall Meeting: Police Chiefs Discuss a Tough Issue: Alcohol and Drug Abuse by Officers,” 

Subject to Debate 26, no. 5 (2012): 4, https://www.policeforum.org/assets/docs/Subject_to_Debate/Debate2012/

debate_2012_sepoct.pdf.

The average mortality rate for men in this 

country is 79 years of age and for women, 

82. For law enforcement officers, one study 

found that the average mortality rate is 57, 

which equates to more than two decades 

of life lost in service to the community.
Overview of the March 2020 Meeting on OSW in Smaller and Rural Communities 7

general population, 10 percent will be using or abusing opioids nine months later.8 In a 2014 study, 

researchers found that following Hurricane Katrina, the average number of alcoholic drinks consumed by police increased from 2 to 7 drinks per day.9

Another result of ongoing workplace stress and traumatic events is the incidence of divorce among 

law enforcement. Research on divorce in the criminal justice field has been limited over the years, 

and anecdotal reports vary widely. However, a recent analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2011–2015, used aggregated data to calculate the divorce rate for all 580 

Census occupational categories. The divorce rate among law enforcement is among the highest 

categories, with first-line supervisors at a rate of 46.9 percent and frontline officers at 34.8 percent, 

and an overall protective services group rate of 40.75 percent is among the top 10 categories. In 

comparison, the average rate of low categories is approximately 23 percent, almost half the rate.10 If 

an agency is not incentivizing self-care among its officers, then that agency is letting a tremendous 

community asset—a trained law enforcement officer—be destroyed.

Unlike large and urban agencies, a stressor unique to small and rural agencies is officers working alone on patrol shifts. In addition to needing standard field training, these officers must have 

tactical training specific to their circumstances to handle responses safely without close backup. 

Furthermore, officers on lone patrol lack the regular peer support of a partner and can become 

lonely with little or no opportunity for support services through counseling or peer mentoring. 

This situation is exacerbated by understaffing, as many agencies have minimal staff available for 

shift coverage. Thus, frontline officers are working extra hours, meaning personal time off and the 

chance to socialize or engage with peer supports are limited.

“Rural communities are under resourced almost across the board. 

Historically, there was not a support system that would enable officers 

to grow, heal, and recover from the traumatic, debilitating experiences 

in the field, as well as the personal crises that officers face at a comparatively higher rate than non-officers.”

– Phil Keith, Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, 

and Chair of the Presidential Commission on Law Enforcement and 

the Administration of Justice

8. Ted R. Miller and Deborah M. Galvin, “Assessing and Responding to Substance Misuse in Law Enforcement,” 

Southern Illinois University Law Journal 40 (2016), https://law.siu.edu/_common/documents/law-journal/articles-2016/

spring-2016/12%20-%20Miller%20-%20sm.pdf.

9. Erin C. McCanlies et al., “Positive Psychological Factors are Associated with Lower PTSD Symptoms among Police 

Officers: Post Hurricane Katrina,” Stress and Health 30, no. 5 (2014): 405–415, https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.2615. 

10. Nathan Yau, “Divorce and Occupation,” FlowData.org, 2017, https://flowingdata.com/2017/07/25/divorceand-occupation.
8 Addressing Four OSW Pillars in Smaller and Rural Communities

REMARKS TO THE OSW GROUP

From Claire Murray, Principal Deputy Associate 

Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice

Following the morning discussion of officer 

safety and wellness in small and rural communities, Claire Murray visited with the group 

and gave remarks on behalf of Attorney General William Barr. She commended the group 

participants for their work to help the U.S. 

Department of Justice understand the whole 

impact of working in the field and amplify the 

efforts that make working in law enforcement safer. Murray recognized the members 

of the 2020 Presidential Commission on 

Law Enforcement and the Administration 

of Justice*

 and the focus of COPS Office and 

BJA grant dollars to enhance officer safety 

and wellness, including the LEO Near Miss 

reporting system†

 and the BJA Patrick Leahy 

Bulletproof Vest Partnership program.‡

Murray stated that BJA and the COPS Office, 

in collaboration with the OSW Group, have 

worked together throughout the administration to provide agencies with the tools 

necessary to address the most persistent and 

prevalent safety and wellness issues facing 

law enforcement officers, and the department values those contributions. 

* “Presidential Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice,” U.S. Department of 

Justice, accessed August 13, 2020, https://www.justice.gov/ag/presidential-commission-law-enforcementand-administration-justice.

† “LEO Near Miss,” Police Foundation, accessed August 13, 2020, https://www.leonearmiss.org/. 

‡ “Patrick Leahy Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP) Program,” Bureau of Justice Assistance, March 2, 2012, 

https://bja.ojp.gov/program/patrick-leahy-bulletproof-vest-partnership-bvp-program/overview. 
9

Addressing Safety 

and Tactical Care, 

Physical Health, and 

Mental Wellness

When the OSW Group moved beyond a general discussion of rural and small agency challenges, they focused on three key topics: safety and tactical care, physical health and wellness, and mental wellness. This discussion covered best practices, research, and strategies 

to improve holistic wellness for officers. 

Throughout the day, an overarching theme of the group was the need for urgent and focused 

action by motivated staff, selected and supported by agency leadership. Finding the right wellnessprogramming champions, those who can both model healthy behaviors and implement new initiatives, is essential to acceptance among department staff. Chiefs play an important role, but they 

cannot simply order or mandate wellness. Some of the most successful examples of wellness programs in agencies are those of ground-up initiatives in which leadership not only supported them 

but also recognized the need for officers to have a sense of ownership in order for the initiatives to 

achieve department-wide buy-in.

Another theme was self-care for officers, including mindfulness in both personal and professional 

aspects. While at the academy, recruits are in top physical and mental wellness condition. As one 

attendee stated, each person is a “modeled specimen that is demonstrated during academy.” 

Throughout their career, officers have a right and responsibility to maintain wellness for themselves 

and their families. If their health and wellness do fall aside, officers “can get back on the wellness 

path,” whether that change is (a) the result of peer support intervention, (b) due to wellness checks 

that emphasize the link between physical and mental wellness; (c) a personal decision to manage 

accumulated stress as well as a desire for overall wellness; or (d) precipitated by a critical incident, 

such as a school shooting.
10 Addressing Four OSW Pillars in Smaller and Rural Communities

SAFETY AND TACTICAL CARE

Officer safety and tactical care while on patrol is a critical topic that is frequently addressed in 

training and leadership planning. For example, previous OSW meetings discussed how one safety 

recommendation to protect officers against assaults and ambushes is two-person patrol cars. 

However, that recommendation may not be viable for small and rural agencies (and even in cities) 

because of budget constraints; small and rural agencies can rarely depend on two-person patrols or 

even multiple-officer responses to service calls. In many of these agencies, only one or two officers 

will be on duty for a shift, and available backup may be an hour or more in response. 

In addition, one attendee pointed out that while many people think of state police as large, wellfunded organizations, quite often the state troopers work in rural and lonely jurisdictions located 

far from accessible resources. For example, the Texas Department of Public Safety has 166 officers 

stationed in six regions across the state. Often these 

state troopers rely on local officers for backup, so 

coordination and cooperation are in the best interest 

of the agencies to increase tactical care and safety. 

To help keep its officers prepared, the department 

has recruits and deputies participate in sessions 

that focus specifically on physical fitness training in 

remote postings with limited or no gym facilities. To 

support the local agencies it regularly works with in mutual aid situations, the department also 

shares all its resources with small and rural agencies throughout the state.

While initial training and continuing education are important for all officers, they are essential to 

address the lone deputy and train officers on scenarios with single-officer response. For example, as 

one attendee remarked, “From a tactical perspective, the human physiological component should 

be the primary target of training.” Officers, especially the lone deputy in rural areas, are likely to 

respond to calls for service involving civilian trauma care. They may also need tactical care skills to 

save their own lives. Within this context, Dr. Jon Sheinberg, a physician and a lieutenant with the 

Cedar Park (Texas) Police Department, explained the importance of Tactical Combat Casualty Care 

(TCCC) and training for Self-Aid and Buddy Aid with a focus on bleeding control. He argued that 

agencies must ensure their officers have standardized individual first aid kits, tourniquet kits such 

as those promoted through Stop the Bleed11 training, and regular training on how to use them. In 

addition to being well equipped and trained, officers need annual refresher courses in first aid and 

CPR, tourniquet use, and trauma triage care. 

11. “Stop the Bleed,” American College of Surgeons, accessed August 14, 2020, https://www.stopthebleed.org/. 

While initial training and continuing 

education are important for all officers, 

they are essential to address the lone 

deputy and train officers on scenarios 

with single-officer response.
Addressing Safety and Tactical Care, Physical Health, and Mental Wellness 11

Another attendee mentioned the success of first aid and TCCC in the Gabrielle Giffords shooting: 

On January 8, 2011, a lone gunman attacked the U.S. congresswoman during a Congress on Your 

Corner event in a grocery parking lot. The deputies of the Pima County (Arizona) Sheriff’s Department were credited with saving five lives with their trauma care skills prior to 911-activated EMS 

arriving on the scene.12

The OSW Group identified that a successful, creative, and cost-effective model for training and supporting tactical care in smaller agencies includes collaborating with larger neighbors. For example, 

a representative at the meeting shared how the Metropolitan Nashville (Tennessee) Police Department, as a larger agency, supports the capacity of its smaller neighbors. The department’s SWAT 

conducts TCCC training for surrounding rural agencies, including standardized training and emergency medical contingency training for remote response scenarios. 

Interestingly, during the discussion on preparing officers for what they may face in the field, the 

OSW Group recognized the importance of officers’ understanding human physiology. An attendee 

observed, “When you look at the tactical applications of police officers, the fact is you have to talk 

about physiology; if you don’t, you’re being complicit to the problem and being deliberately indifferent to the human that occupies that uniform.” In other words, officers must consider how the 

human body adapts to stress, physical activity, and sickness in order to better support each other. 

If they ignore these areas and the link between them, then the officers themselves are another 

contributing factor to officer injury and burnout. 

Moreover, one attendee suggested that agencies could be held liable if they don’t support safety 

and wellness. In 1989, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that

Training police personnel is a critical managerial responsibility, and administrators are 

required to employ healthy and well-trained first responders. Inadequate or improper 

training, including deliberate indifference that causes injury or violates a citizen’s constitutional rights is open to liability. The court also made it clear that the basic police 

academy emphasizes law and discipline, but that such training alone is not enough.13

All the attendees agreed that field tactics and hands-on situations increase agitation and stress; 

thus, officers need to physically prepare for a measured response that includes tactical skills and 

the fitness needed to safely restrain defendants. A recent study on law enforcement physiological 

responses on duty found that even standard calls for service resulted in powerful physical reactions, 

which include the release of neurotransmitters and hormones. During routine calls for service, the 

heart rate of officers increased from a resting rate of 63 beats per minute (bpm) to 98 bpm when 

receiving a dispatch call to 122 bpm during a standard arrest. The increased heart rate was not due 

12. Tammy Kastre, “Tactical EMS Saved Lives after Giffords Shooting,” Journal of Emergency Medical Services 5, no. 37 

(2012), https://www.jems.com/2012/05/02/tactical-ems-saved-lives-after-giffords/.

13. City of Canton, Ohio v. Harris, 489 U.S. 378 (1989). 
12 Addressing Four OSW Pillars in Smaller and Rural Communities

to movement but to a stress response by the responding officers.14 In addition, the same researchers found that the physiological stress responses of calls for service impacted both short-term performance impairments and long-term health outcomes for officers in the study. Evidence-based 

training has been shown to improve performance and increase resilience to stress reactions, but 

the training should mimic a stress environment and include repeated practice for proficiency.15

The conclusion of this conversation was that talking the human stress response into consideration 

improves tactical training. As one attendee explained, “The body’s vessel delivery system is your 

starting point and foundation for tactical movement. In close-quarters combat engagement with 

use of force, officers experience elevated heart rate and vessel dilation, and blood comes down to 

all the major muscle groups. This is 100 percent physiological. The individual officer doesn’t have 

time to think when engaged in this motor skillset, as it is all physiological, so it all comes down to 

the foundation of training” and tactical preparedness.

PHYSICAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS

The afternoon discussion moved to physical health and wellness in law enforcement with a focus 

on innovative programs for physical activity and proper nutrition, medical testing to identify potential health issues, and the significance of sleep in relation to overall health.

One participant remarked, “Nutrition, sleep, and fitness are the cornerstones of physical health and 

tactical success.” However, working in law enforcement has a negative impact on regular nutrition, 

sleep, and exercise routines. Unlike a standard desk job, officers and deputies work overnight and 

weekend shifts, eat meals on the run, and often work extra hours or a second job for supplemental 

income. As a result, law enforcement must be diligent to maintain physical health. 

Cedar Park’s Dr. Sheinberg identified five components of wellness: TCCC (as discussed in the previous section), obesity counseling and nutrition, fitness, cardiac screening, and mental health. When 

individuals not only neglect these components but also combine them with sleep and shift-cycle 

disorders and a predominately sedentary job with sporadic periods of high stress, the result is a 

perfect storm. Officers need to complete basic wellness screenings and fitness tests and receive 

nutrition counseling on a routine basis to identify and reverse health risks.

Dr. Sheinberg recommends two inexpensive and simple tests that can save the lives of officers 

with physical health problems: “We have validated two tests that detect heart disease in cops years 

before feeling chest pain or suffering a heart attack. One of them is a quick scan of the chest called 

a calcium score exam, and the other is a very simple blood test that looks for inflammation changes 

in the heart arteries.” The results of these tests can inform officers and their doctors to make positive 

changes that are lifesaving. 

14. Simon Baldwin et al., “Stress-Activity Mapping: Physiological Responses during General Duty Police Encounters,” 

Frontiers in Psychology 10, no. 2216 (4 Oct. 2019), https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02216. 

15. Ibid. 
Addressing Safety and Tactical Care, Physical Health, and Mental Wellness 13

Beyond the benefits to law enforcement officers and their families, the two tests can offer a 32-to61 times return on investment for agencies. Based on Dr. Sheinberg’s estimates, the tests can be 

administered for less than $175, as opposed to an in-service heart attack that costs $750,000 for 

immediate care. Thus, for example, screening a police force the size of Houston’s, which comprises 

5,000 officers, would cost $2.5 million upfront and save $300 million over five years. This is a 60-to-1 

return on investment, and spending the money upfront is obviously better rather than spending it 

on the reactionary treatment side.16

As stated in the overview section, some researchers have suggested that the average mortality rate 

for law enforcement officers is 57 years of age, as opposed to 79 and 82 for civilian men and women, 

respectively.17 Physical fitness is widely understood to contribute to longevity; however, to the best 

of the participants’ knowledge, Texas is the only state with a legislated physical fitness standard for 

law enforcement officers, and that only applies to the Texas Department of Public Safety, not to 

other agencies in the state. 

Physical fitness standards are a widely debated topic in law enforcement. The Cooper Institute 

defines fitness standards as a minimal level of fitness necessary to perform critical and essential 

job tasks. For law enforcement professionals, these tasks include walking, running short distances, 

pulling, pushing, lifting, carrying, dragging, climbing stairs, use of force tactics, and personal protection.18 Although most federal agencies require annual fitness testing for officers (the FBI, U.S. 

Marshalls, and Secret Service), state and local agencies are hesitant to implement fitness standards 

because of resistance from within and because of a tradition of voluntary responsibility. However, 

the economic costs of injuries, liability insurance premiums, and potential lawsuits related to performance of duty failures have been an impetus for implementing annual employee fitness standards. Studies suggest that such programs may decrease injuries, absenteeism, and the cost of 

group health care benefits.19

16. “Cardiac Screening Initiative,” Public Safety Cardiac Foundation, accessed August 15, 2020, 

http://www.publicsafetyheart.org/csi.html.

17. Violanti et al., “Life Expectancy in Police Officers (see note 5). 

18. Steve Farrell, “Fitness Norms and Fitness Standards are Apples and Oranges,” Cooper Institute, May 17, 2017, 

http://www.cooperinstitute.org/2017/05/17/fitness-norms-and-fitness-standards-are-apples-and-oranges.

19. Liana Lentz et al., “The Association Between Fitness Test Scores and Musculoskeletal Injury in Police Officers,” 

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 16, no. 23 (2019), https://doi.org/10.3390/

ijerph16234667.

The economic costs of injuries, liability insurance premiums, 

and potential lawsuits related to performance of duty failures 

have been an impetus for implementing annual employee 

fitness standards.
14 Addressing Four OSW Pillars in Smaller and Rural Communities

When the Texas fitness standard law passed (see sidebar “Texas Government Code § 614.172” on 

page 15), it caused a lot of anxiety among officers, but in the 15 years since passage, no officer 

has been dismissed for failing the test, noted one OSW Group meeting attendee. The state didn’t 

just set a standard; it gave the Texas Department of Public Safety not only the flexibility to design 

fitness programs to support its officers but also the tools they would need to meet the standard. 

The standards that the department enacted were intended to improve job performance and overall 

safety for the community and responding officers. To be more specific, “the standards as applied 

to an officer must directly relate to the officer’s job duties and shall include individual fitness goals 

specific to the officer’s age and gender.”20 These standards are reasonable and help promote officer 

safety and wellness. 

Small and rural agencies can piggy-back on legislation meant for state-level agencies, so that both 

can enact similar programs and collaborate on resources. In addition to improving their health, 

state and local officers located in rural areas will have additional confidence when providing each 

other with backup, knowing they’re all meeting the same standards. Furthermore, the officers may 

even be acquainted with each other through training or working out in the same gym facilities. 

One participant shared that state public safety officers are encouraged to work out in fitness 

facilities at local police precincts to connect with other law enforcement professionals. The Texas 

Department of Public Safety also runs a fitness institute—an extensive six-week course of classroom lectures and workouts to prepare individuals to test as certified personal trainers or as physical fitness instructors through the American College of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer 

program. The institute is open to law enforcement across the state and encourages collaboration 

and consistent fitness training in Texas.21

The OSW Group also discussed the importance of nutrition for overall health and the propensity 

of officers to supersize their meals on the go. As one attendee said, “Physical health and fitness 

is a foundational principle for officer success,” so starting in the academy, agencies should teach 

20. “Texas Government Code: Sec. 614.172. Physical Fitness Programs and Standards,” Texas.Public.Law, accessed 

August 15, 2020, https://texas.public.law/statutes/tex._gov’t_code_section_614.172.

21. “DPS Fitness institute,” Texas Department of Public Safety, accessed August 15, 2020, https://www.dps.texas.gov/

ETR/fitnessInstitute.htm.

The state gave the Texas Department of Public Safety not only 

the flexibility to design fitness programs to support its officers 

but also the tools they would need to meet the standard. 
15

recruits not only how to exercise and remain 

fit but also how to eat for the job, “because the 

human mechanism doesn’t operate unless you 

have proper fueling and nutrients that the body 

can extrapolate and use to service the necessary 

muscle groups when engaged.”

Another attendee described a partnership 

between a police department and a grocery-store 

chain, the latter of which donates healthy, fresh, 

and portion-controlled meals to officers on duty. 

The officers get a healthy premade meal, and the 

agency gets healthy officers. The grocery chain 

promotes the partnership to local communities, 

and it gets increased patrols and the positive 

goodwill of donating to officers. Partnerships 

such as these overcome the cost factor of eating 

healthy as well as the convenience factor of getting a meal on shift, and such partnerships could 

be explored throughout the country.

Similarly, the Texas Department of Public Safety 

promotes healthy eating for their troopers and 

staff through the USDA Chose My Plate website. 

For example, the website’s “Healthy Eating on 

a Budget” section has detailed shopping lists, 

two-week meal plans and recipes, tip sheets, and 

other materials in Spanish and English.22

The last aspect of physical health and wellness 

the group discussed during the meeting was 

sleep hygiene and the health impacts of poor 

sleep habits. One participant stated, “Long-term 

poor sleep hygiene and sleep medicine causes 

22. “Healthy Eating on a Budget,” Choose My Plate, 

accessed August 15, 2020, https://www.choosemyplate.

gov/eathealthy/budget.

TEXAS GOVERNMENT 

CODE § 614.172. 

PHYSICAL FITNESS PROGRAMS 

AND STANDARDS

(a) Each law enforcement agency shall adopt 

physical fitness programs that a law enforcement officer must participate in and physical 

fitness standards that a law enforcement officer must meet. The standards as applied to 

an officer must directly relate to the officer’s 

job duties and shall include individual fitness 

goals specific to the officer’s age and gender. 

A law enforcement agency shall use the services of a consultant to aid the agency in developing the standards.

(a-1) Each law enforcement agency shall 

adopt a reward policy that provides for 

reward incentives to officers who participate in the program and meet the standards adopted under subsection (a). The 

reward incentives under the policy must 

be an amount of administrative leave of 

not more than four days per year.

(a-2) An agency may adopt physical readiness standards independent of other law 

enforcement agencies.

(c) A law enforcement agency may exempt a 

law enforcement officer from participating in 

a program or meeting a standard under subsection (a) based on the facts and circumstances of the individual case, including whether 

an officer was injured in the line of duty.

Source: “Texas Government Code: Sec. 614.172,” Texas.

Public.Law (see note 20). 
an increased risk of heart disease, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, and even diabetes.” 

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine found that sleep deprivation over time causes not only 

physical health issues but also anxiety, depression, lack of coordination, slower response times, and 

irritability.23 Long hours, shift work, and stress can limit restful sleep for frontline officers and leadership in law enforcement. Age, weight, and overall fitness can also impact sleep habits. 

Agencies should also keep in mind that a source of an officer’s stress may come from external factors too. For example, a common stressor for many officers is their personal finances, and retail 

therapy can create a cycle of stress. One attendee recalled an officer wellness symposium presenter 

who talked about how he quickly accumulated $80,000 in consumer debt shortly after being hired 

on the force. The debt, including a $20,000 car with a $5,000 stereo system, was overwhelming, 

and as he worked more overtime to cover household bills, he was ruining his health and personal 

relationships. Officers can fall into the trap of working extensive overtime or off-duty jobs to cover 

their debts, which cause more stress for themselves and their families. The fatigue of overtime and 

off-duty work is carried through the week and can have devastating consequences on their focus 

and response.

Furthermore, a common problem for law enforcement is sleep apnea. Of patients diagnosed with 

sleep apnea, 80 percent are men, and men represent 87 percent of sworn staff in 2018.24 Dr. Walter 

Rustmann, sleep specialist of the Florosa (Florida) Fire Department, recommends an easy screening 

questionnaire to help diagnose sleep apnea: If the officer has a neck size over 17, is overweight, is 

a man over 40 years old, and snores, he is likely to need medication or a continuous positive airway 

pressure (CPAP) machine. Otherwise, the officers are 

most likely experiencing light, insufficient sleep. 

Physical health is critical to holistic wellness and officer 

safety. Therefore, working with a primary care doctor 

over time is important for officers. One attendee recommended shopping for a doctor like shopping for 

a car or home: conduct research, and try out a doctor 

with an interview and initial visit. Find a primary care doctor who understands the needs of law 

enforcement. Physical health is critical to success, and each officer is ultimately responsible to 

engage in self-care and advocate for his or her needs. 

23. “Sleep Deprivation,” Factsheet, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, January 29, 2008, https://aasm.org/

resources/factsheets/sleepdeprivation.pdf. 

24. “Gender Distribution of Full-Time Law Enforcement Employees in the United States in 2018,” Statista, accessed 

August 15, 2020, https://www.statista.com/statistics/195324/gender-distribution-of-full-time-law-enforcementemployees-in-the-us/.

16 Promoting Positive Coping Strategies in Law Enforcement

Physical health is critical to holistic 

wellness and officer safety. Therefore, 

working with a primary care doctor 

over time is important for officers.
Addressing Safety and Tactical Care, Physical Health, and Mental Wellness 17

MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS

The last topic of the OSW Group meeting was mental health for law enforcement. In 2019 alone, 228 

officers died by suicide while a total of 135 died in all other line-of-duty deaths. That tells us that 

the most dangerous time for law enforcement officers is off duty, at home.25 These numbers, these 

officers, cannot be overlooked. Agencies need to offer 

resources that will help improve officers’ mental wellness.

For example, several participants stressed the importance of proactive wellness checks for officers as a necessary best practice for agencies. Wellness checks by the 

chief or sheriff in small and rural agencies is an innovative leadership tool that involves no cost and has maximum impact. Leadership can convey the importance of 

mental health to staff through these check-ins. One participant remarked, “Agencies don’t need a 

data tracking system or a sophisticated, expensive program; they simply need to look for people 

who might be struggling. Look at officer calls-for-service history; follow up with the people who 

have been at tough scenes and ask them how they are doing.” Proactive engagement on wellness 

can become part of a regular communication schedule that builds trust with officers and increases 

their comfort in disclosing concerns or stressors.

While mental health care is a critical topic for all law enforcement agencies and the communities 

they serve, lack of resources and qualified counselors in addition to the stigma of mental health 

issues are all barriers to ongoing care for officers. Participants discussed the need for a wellness 

advocate who has credibility in the agency. Leadership should champion the cause of mental wellness; the chief must not only recruit people who will be good peers but also place a value on the 

program for themselves and other officers in agency. “It is essential for the leader of an organization 

to share the story of why it’s important for their department to complete regular screenings and 

then be seen as the first one to go to those mental health checks,” said one participant. Leadership 

and seasoned officers can share times of stress in their career and the positive methods they used 

to overcome periods of anxiety and depression. 

Peer support programs

Peer support teams, including a regional collaboration of multiple small and rural agencies with 

limited staffing, can be an important resource for officers. Regarding the composition of these 

teams, several attendees recommended that counselors and peer supports represent the face of 

25. “Officer Suicide Statistics,” Blue HELP, accessed August 15, 2020, https://bluehelp.org/resources/statistics/.

In 2019 alone, 228 officers died by 

suicide while a total of 135 died in all 

other line-of-duty deaths. That tells 

us that the most dangerous time for 

law enforcement officers is off duty, 

at home.
18 Addressing Four OSW Pillars in Smaller and Rural Communities

resilience and overcoming adversity. Officers need a mix of support team members: some who 

have a background in law enforcement and others who do not. Men and women from different 

backgrounds can help officers to recognize and appreciate their humanity and vulnerabilities while 

being empathetic. As one participant who is a counselor in a law enforcement agency said, “When 

forming these teams, it is continually important to have people who have never been cops. I’m 

not going to come in and tactically analyze things; I’m not going to tell you what I went through 

and what I dealt with, but I am going to move you to a place where you’re going to understand 

your humanity.”

As the OSW Group discussed the mission and goals of peer support in law enforcement agencies, 

the attendees recommended that agencies “start with the end in mind: What are we hoping to 

accomplish by having peer support? Do we have evidence of the best peer support programs that 

are effective in reducing officer-involved shootings, reducing citizen’s complaints, and reducing 

days missed on workers’ compensation? What are 

best practices and model programs that we can then 

recommend to our agencies?” 

In terms of mitigating the challenges small agencies 

have in maintaining wellness programs, the collaboration model of regional and statewide programs can 

help. Furthermore, the collaborative model is useful 

for responses to large-scale critical incidents, such as 

a mass shooting. “During and after a mass casualty event, your strongest allies can be the other first 

responders and community leaders in your community and neighboring communities. It’s important to strengthen those relationships now and plan together for responding to emergencies.”26 Peer 

support team members from multiple agencies can engage with all the first responders and provide ongoing support during the after-incident work of agency personnel. 

Connecticut State Police representatives at the OSW Group meeting discussed a statewide resilience program for their troopers and for officers from small and rural agencies across the state. 

Sergeant Troy Anderson, retired from the Connecticut State Police, described some of the tactical 

considerations in the northeastern and northwestern parts of his home state. Often the closest 

backup can be 45 minutes away, so Anderson helped create the State Troopers Offering Peer Support (STOPS) program to build resilience among troopers starting in the academy by providing 

26. National Alliance on Mental Illness, Preparing for the Unimaginable: How Chiefs Can Safeguard Officer Mental Health 

Before and After Mass Casualty Events (Washington, DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, 2016), 44, 

https://cops.usdoj.gov/RIC/Publications/cops-p347-pub.pdf.

In terms of mitigating the challenges 

small agencies have in maintaining 

wellness programs, the collaboration 

model of regional and statewide 

programs can help. 
Addressing Safety and Tactical Care, Physical Health, and Mental Wellness 19

them with a universal and predictable approach to trauma management. Anderson went on to say 

that STOPS has had zero breaches and zero alleged breaches in confidentiality. The state also made 

these resources directly available to rural officers in the field. 

STOPS is only one of the programs Anderson oversees in his role as lead of a new state wellness 

and resiliency program. In this new role, Anderson will coordinate resources and programming for 

all six divisions of the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection with 

buy-in from agencies. Anderson said the plans include online training that can be accessed by all 

first responders in the state, but the new approach will also maximize partnerships and resources 

between large and small agencies across the state.27

The meeting participants also included representatives from the Metropolitan Nashville (Tennessee) Police Department and Cleveland (Ohio) Police Department, both which were awarded funding 

by the COPS Office to establish regional peer support programs that specifically include services for 

small, neighboring agencies. Regarding the former, Metro Nashville’s Sergeant Michael Gooch and 

Manager David Kennington discussed how their department uses its regional peer support program to help overcome the stigma of mental health within agencies. The department starts with 

academy trainees: it has members of peer support panels and wellness panels (who assist officers 

not only within its own department but also in regional partner agencies) share their experiences 

and struggles with academy trainees. The agency also has a five-point program that includes an 

annual wellness check for officers. (See the sidebar “Metro Nashville Police Department’s Behavioral 

Health Services Division” on page 20.) 

Cleveland’s Sergeant Melissa Dawson has an internal seven-sworn-officer peer support unit that is 

dedicated to critical event-trauma response and assists her agency and the surrounding rural agencies. Sergeant Dawson explained, “Cleveland Police Department doesn’t necessarily have the funds 

for peer support programs, but we have the experience with critical incidents and trauma response. 

Therefore, we find ourselves being called upon or reaching out to smaller agencies throughout 

Cuyahoga County. As a COPS Office grant recipient, we have developed a county-wide peer support program for all 70-plus agencies throughout the county. We keep generic statistical data, and 

we do surveys to send out as well to show that our program works. Our intention is to make it available for first responders in general. There will be very minimal data collection in order to keep that 

trust. It is a peer network, not designed to be a critical response system.”

27. Siobhan McGirl, “Connecticut State Police Create Program to Help First Responders Manage PTSD,” NBC CT, 

January 22, 2020, https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/connecticut-state-police-create-program-to-helpfirst-responders-manage-ptsd/2213245/.
METROPOLITAN NASHVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT’S 

BEHAVIOR AL HEALTH SERVICES DIVISION

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department’s Behavioral Health Services Division* 

has both a counseling and wellness unit. The 

counseling unit provides free, confidential 

therapy to all personnel and their families, 

as well as surrounding agencies by request. 

The services are available to sworn and civilian staff, children, teens, and adults. And all 

therapists are trained in trauma-based counseling techniques. 

The counseling and wellness units offer five 

types of wellness checks that can be completed by peer supports, chaplains, or a 

licensed counselor at the office, in the field, 

or another location:

1. General wellness check: happens 

anytime, anywhere

2. Annual wellness check: typically 

scheduled around same time as a 

physical exam

3. Stress wellness check: offered when 

personnel are involved in stressful 

situations at home or on the job

4. Crisis wellness check: offered following a critical incident

5. Follow-up wellness checks: added as 

needed to any of the categories above

As of March 2020, the wellness unit had 100 

peer supporters with another 25–30 scheduled

for training. The COPS Office Law Enforcement 

Mental Health and Wellness Act grant funding†

further allows the department to provide peer 

support trainings and other assistance to law 

enforcement agencies in the surrounding 10 

counties. The department’s Behavioral Health 

Services Division is a model program that can 

be replicated in partnerships with small and 

large agencies across the country.

* “Behavioral Health Services Division (Police Department),” Nashville.gov, accessed August 16, 2020, 

https://www.nashville.gov/Police-Department/

Administrative-Services/Behavioral-Health-Services.aspx.

† “2019 COPS Office Law Enforcement Mental Health and 

Wellness Act (LEMHWA) Program,” Office of Community 

Oriented Policing Services, accessed August 16, 2020, 

https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/2019AwardDocs/lemhwa/

Award_List.pdf.
Addressing Safety and Tactical Care, Physical Health, and Mental Wellness 21

Although smaller departments in a given county may not have the resources necessary to provide an independent peer support program, larger departments that see a need among smaller 

departments can develop inclusive support networks. For example, the state of Vermont has EAPFirst, an employee assistance program exclusively for all state first responders that provides expert 

trauma-informed clinical support, counseling, and peer assistance through a partnership with the 

Vermont League of Cities and Towns.28 First responders have 24/7 access to support via phone and 

counselors across the state for in-person sessions. EAPFirst is free and confidential, but individual 

agencies can also call to request help in response to large-scale traumatic events. 

Similarly, membership in state or national groups, such as the National Association of School 

Resource Officers (NASRO), is another way for officers in small and rural agencies to connect with 

peers. For a nominal annual fee, NASRO provides secure forums, online training, and other resources 

for members on a variety of topics, including 

mental health and wellness. Professional organizations are also a way to find and collaborate with 

regional partners. 

A 2018 article in the COPS Office’s Community 

Policing Dispatch e-newsletter provides an example of a regional networking effort. All 87 county 

sheriffs across the state of Minnesota are actively involved in the Minnesota Sheriffs Association 

(MSA), which is the state chapter of the National Sheriffs’ Association. The MSA organizes training 

throughout the year, provides advice on operations, and meets monthly to discuss current topics. 

This regional group also collaborates on multiagency training and support for deputies.29

Technology that can aid wellness

OSW Group meeting participants also discussed telehealth counseling and crisis response as a 

means of providing mental health services for small and rural agencies. Counseling via a secure 

virtual connection provides privacy for officers who are reluctant to be seen at a local mental health 

service provider’s office or who cannot drive hours for a specific counselor who understands the 

challenges and stressors of law enforcement. One attendee recommended “an iPad FaceTime program where officers can talk to behavioral health specialists from the comfort of [their home or 

the precinct] as opposed to having to go to the clinic or hospital to talk to someone face to face.” 

Privacy and confidentiality as well as rapport and trust mitigate the stigma officers perceive regarding counseling services. Virtual counseling is not limited by travel restrictions, so officers can find a 

counselor based on their needs and within the time constraints of shift work.

28. “Employee Assistance for First Responders,” Invest EAP, accessed August 16, 2020, 

https://www.investeap.org/eapfirst. 

29. Scott Rose, “Sheriffs Working in Collaboration with Communities and Peers,” Community Policing Dispatch 11, 

no. 5 (2018), https://cops.usdoj.gov/html/dispatch/05-2018/sheriffs_communities.html. 

Listening to podcasts and TED Talks is 

a way to connect with others and learn 

about coping mechanisms that have 

worked for first responders.
22 Addressing Four OSW Pillars in Smaller and Rural Communities

The Snowflake Police Department uses the Bulletproof Wellness Mobile App,30 which is supported 

by the 100 Club of Arizona, a nonprofit community partner for first responders in Arizona. The app 

has 24/7 access to crisis services, self-assessments, and resources that support resilience, mental 

wellness, fitness, and financial assistance. Chief Martin discussed the importance of using Bulletproof, because the small agency was down approximately 25 percent in staffing for almost four 

years, and officers had no time off. The mobile app promotes resilience in the agency and destigmatizes mental health care while also ensuring confidentiality for officers and providing their families 

with access to counseling.

Another option discussed at the meeting is use of a software database system such as BlueTeam 

Nextgen.31 The system’s dashboard supports frontline documentation, supervisory oversight, and 

organizational accountability. This type of early warning software isn’t meant to help provide 

services; rather, this tool helps supervisors and 

managers intervene on behalf of a struggling 

employee before he or she is at the point of crisis. 

However, meeting participants agreed that agencies must be mindful when choosing which part 

of an agency is responsible for watching and 

responding to trends in the data. All participants 

who use BlueTeam and other similar programs agreed with one attendee who said, “The officer 

intervention program helps us see officers that may have an issue, and this gives the supervisors 

the ability to monitor the dashboard. We collect all kinds of data, but the tracking and accountability is run by our employee assistance unit versus internal affairs.” The chain of command for 

oversight is flat so that officers can trust their concerns are confidential and will not result in punitive measures. When using an early intervention system as part of an effort to improve wellness, it 

cannot be confused or perceived as a disciplinary intervention.

Agencies can build a toolbox of help options that are always available and easy to access. Such 

availability is especially convenient when sworn and civilian staff are experiencing the inevitable 

stress that accompanies this work, when responding to mass casualty events and other crises, or 

when experiencing a loss within the agency such as an officer suicide. For example, one participant 

recommended making counseling and support resources accessible on the front page of agency 

30. “Bulletproof Wellness App,” 100 Club of Arizona, accessed August 16, 2020, https://www.100club.org/bulletproof/.

31. “BlueTeam Nextgen,” CI Technologies, accessed August 16, 2020, https://www.iapro.com/products/blueteam.

When using an early intervention 

system as part of an effort to improve 

wellness, it cannot be confused or 

perceived as a disciplinary intervention.
Addressing Safety and Tactical Care, Physical Health, and Mental Wellness 23

websites for easy access by officers and their families. Although stigma is a barrier to accessing care, 

agencies can circumvent that stigma by making the information readily available on a platform 

to which every employee has access, so no one has to go through a command member. This easy 

access also means that family members can find help if they have concerns about someone in the 

agency and want resources.

Several participants also discussed unconventional resources that they found helpful and informative. For example, listening to podcasts and TED Talks is another way to connect with others and 

learn about coping mechanisms that have worked for first responders. For example, Jean-Michel 

Blais, former Halifax police chief from Nova Scotia, hosted a TED Talk in which he discusses daily 

management of PTSD. He shares his physiological response, particularly when triggered by memories of trauma, and his methods to overcome PTSD through exercise and structured activities.32

Providing another example, one participant suggested that a useful repository of OSW resources 

for small and rural agencies is the Badge of Life website, which is hosted by a non-profit organization with the mission “to educate and train law enforcement about mental health and suicide prevention.”33 To facilitate this mission, the organization provides lists of resources, including 

approximately a dozen hotlines for law enforcement support and crisis response. Small and rural 

agencies can also contribute to a regional list of recommended and not-recommended resources. 

32. Jean-Michel Blais, “Police Mental Health: From Self-Improvement to Community Improvement,” TEDxMSVU, 

April 1, 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zcl5GEaX1Pk. 

33. Badge of Life, accessed August 17, 2020, https://badgeoflife.org/.

Several participants also discussed unconventional 

resources that they found helpful and informative. For 

example, listening to podcasts and TED Talks is another 

way to connect with others and learn about coping 

mechanisms that have worked for first responders.
24 Addressing Four OSW Pillars in Smaller and Rural Communities
25

Conclusion

The March 2020 meeting concluded with recommendations and topics for further discussion within 

the OSW Group. 

Participants remarked on the importance of selecting the right leaders to oversee peer support, fitness programs, and wellness units, as well as the right peer support volunteer team members—as 

these individuals will need to be able to gain the trust of staff and model positive behaviors. For 

example, a model fitness program, which can be implemented either through mandatory participation or voluntary compliance includes peers motivating officers to improve their physical health, and 

leaders can provide support via group training sessions, fitness check-ins, and incentives for annual 

fitness goals. In addition, meeting participants recommend that the chief and chain of command 

should participate to model good fitness. Such camaraderie among peers is more powerful than 

mandates, and leading by example encourages participation.

Physical safety and health was another topic of discussion that the participants reviewed. Proper 

training and equipment in the field is especially important for officers in small and rural agencies. 

Training in first-aid, first-aid kit usage, Tactical Combat Casualty Care, Stop the Bleed, lone-officer tactical response, and other specialized training can be completed in collaboration with other agencies. 

Furthermore, collaboration between state, local, and tribal partners will improve officer and community safety. 

Other participant-recommended aspects of physical safety were cardiac screening and sleep apnea 

testing. Officers can work in partnership with a doctor to identify and address health issues that are 

specific to law enforcement and an officer’s personal medical history. Sleep disorders, including sleep 

apnea, are a common health concern in the field, and leadership can encourage screening for sleep 

disorders and use of medical supplies like CPAP machines to support physical fitness and maximum 

mental acuity for work in the field.

One participant stressed the importance of access to 24-hour resources. He said, “The most dangerous time for officers is off duty, at home, and at risk for suicide.” He also recalled a study, potentially 

by the Department of Veteran Affairs, that found the time between suicidal ideation and an attempt 

averages about 60 minutes. Thus, crisis lines such as SafeCallNow34 and Cop2Cop,35 mobile applications, and peer support team members are all important in the work to lower officer suicide rates.

34. SafeCallNow, accessed August 18, 2020, https://www.safecallnow.org/. 

35. “Cop2Cop,” National Institute of Corrections, accessed August 18, 2020, https://nicic.gov/cop2cop. 
26 Addressing Four OSW Pillars in Smaller and Rural Communities

However, while agencies may want to promote as many wellness options as possible to help make 

sure all of the officers and their families can find the services they need, agencies should also vet 

these innovative and unconventional resources, as well as best practices and nationally recognized 

programs, for quality and effectiveness in response to officer safety and wellness. Likewise, several 

participants highlighted the need for resource recommendations from trusted sources. Even then, 

agencies can review resources over time, and a peer support team or wellness coordinator may add 

or remove resources based on feedback from agency sworn and civilian staff. 

Phil Keith, director of the COPS Office, made concluding remarks during which he thanked the 

group members for their participation and work to support officer safety and wellness. Director 

Keith juxtaposed his early career work as an officer in Tennessee and the vital importance of cultural 

change that is occurring today in agencies across the country. He said, “Chiefs and sheriffs are right 

there at the heart and blame” of a healthy workforce and only have one shot at maintaining the 

trust and confidentiality of their officers. Frontline personnel must know they can rely on leadership 

and the chain of command to be involved in holistic wellness, whether at the state, federal, or local 

level. Furthermore, mayors and elected officials need to be held accountable for providing support 

as well and focus on employee-centric programs that improve officer wellness.

In response to Director Keith, the OSW Group concluded that leadership must not be consumed by 

policy and agency operations but focus on the work that men and women do across this country 

every day to make public safety a top priority. The critical work that is law enforcement relies on the 

health and safety of officers to respond effectively in the community. 

“ We used to go after problem officers, not the problem. 

Discussions like today show how much we’ve changed 

and how far we’ve come.”

 – Phil Keith, Director of the COPS Office and Chair of 

the Presidential Commission on Law Enforcement 

and the Administration of Justice
27

About the Bureau 

of Justice Assistance

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. 

Department of Justice, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics; National Institute of Justice; Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; Office for Victims of Crime; and Office of 

Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking.

BJA provides leadership and services in grant administration and criminal justice policy development to support local, state, and tribal law enforcement in achieving safer communities. BJA 

supports programs and initiatives in the areas of law enforcement, justice information sharing, 

countering terrorism, managing offenders, combating drug crime and abuse, adjudication, advancing tribal justice, crime prevention, protecting vulnerable populations, and capacity building. Driving BJA’s work in the field are the following principles:

Emphasize local control.

Build relationships in the field.

Provide training and technical assistance in support of efforts to prevent crime, 

drug abuse, and violence at the national, state, and local levels.

Develop collaborations and partnerships.

Promote capacity building through planning.

Streamline the administration of grants.

Increase training and technical assistance.

Create accountability of projects.

Encourage innovation.

Communicate the value of justice efforts to decision makers at every level.

To learn more about BJA, visit www.bja.gov, or follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/DOJBJA) 

and Twitter (@DOJBJA). BJA is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs. 
28

About the COPS Office

The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) is the component of the 

U.S. Department of Justice responsible for advancing the practice of community policing by the 

nation’s state, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement agencies through information and grant 

resources.

Community policing begins with a commitment to building trust and mutual respect between 

police and communities. It supports public safety by encouraging all stakeholders to work together 

to address our nation’s crime challenges. When police and communities collaborate, they more 

effectively address underlying issues, change negative behavioral patterns, and allocate resources. 

Rather than simply responding to crime, community policing focuses on preventing it through strategic problem-solving approaches based on collaboration. The COPS Office awards grants to hire 

community policing officers and support the development and testing of innovative policing strategies. COPS Office funding also provides training and technical assistance to community members 

and local government leaders, as well as all levels of law enforcement. 

Since 1994, the COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to add community policing officers 

to the nation’s streets, enhance crime fighting technology, support crime prevention initiatives, 

and provide training and technical assistance to help advance community policing. Other achievements include the following:

To date, the COPS Office has funded the hiring of approximately 130,000 additional officers by 

more than 13,000 of the nation’s 18,000 law enforcement agencies in both small and large jurisdictions.

Nearly 700,000 law enforcement personnel, community members, and government leaders 

have been trained through COPS Office–funded training organizations.

To date, the COPS Office has distributed more than eight million topic-specific publications, 

training curricula, white papers, and resource CDs and flash drives.

The COPS Office also sponsors conferences, round tables, and other forums focused on issues 

critical to law enforcement.

COPS Office information resources, covering a wide range of community policing topics such as 

school and campus safety, violent crime, and officer safety and wellness, can be downloaded via 

the COPS Office’s home page, www.cops.usdoj.gov. This website is also the grant application portal, 

providing access to online application forms.

In March 2020, the OSW Group convened to discuss law enforcement safety 

and wellness challenges that are unique to small and rural agencies—an essential conversation given that approximately 80 percent of U.S. law enforcement 

agencies have fewer than 20 officers. This meeting focused on addressing safety 

and tactical care via training and proper equipment; promoting physical health 

through testing, regular wellness visits, and fitness resources; and supporting 

mental wellness with confidential counseling, peer support groups, and other 

innovative and unconventional resources. Overall, the goal was to identify best 

practices, discuss research, and share strategies to improve holistic wellness for 

officers. The meeting participants also clearly highlighted several ways in which 

leadership should promote wellness among their staff.

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

145 N Street NE

Washington, DC 20530

To obtain details on COPS Office programs, call 

the COPS Office Response Center at 800-421-6770.

Visit the COPS Office online at www.cops.usdoj.gov.

e082008959

Published 2020