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Personal Definition of Worksite Wellness

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Personal Definition of Worksite Wellness

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My definition of best practice in Worksite Wellness is when we can take concepts which have been proven to work and are able to disseminate these in the most effective way possible. This is a cooperative relationship between both evidences found in research and the process of implementation and can evolve over time. The rigorous process indicated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) involves peer review and evaluation which shows consistent results when improving health outcomes for a population (Scovill, n.d.). I believe this can be translated that data plays a significant role in best practice. It is essential in building evidence to prove or disprove our theories regarding wellness. The implementation of a wellness program in the workforce needs to follow certain steps, which may vary slightly depending on the chosen model. However, as pointed out in the video, What is Best Practice? the outcomes need to address reach, sustainability, and transferability (n.d.). These factors will determine the effectiveness of the program.

There are many components that make up best practice which include the individual, the organization, and environmental factors but I believe the prevailing indicator of success is the company culture. An organization’s culture of wellness can be strongly influenced by management so to maximize results for the individual and the company, the commitment must be mutual (Allen & Hunnicutt, n.d.).

Scovill, S. (n.d.) What is best practice? [video file and transcript]. Retrieved from https://uwsa.instructure.com/courses/244381/pages/video-presentation-best-practices?module_item_id=3614980

Allen, J. and Hunnicutt. D. (n.d.). Fostering wellness leadership: A new model. Retrieved from http://www.csun.edu/~alliance/Wellness_Coreteam/Absolute%20Advantage%20Magazine/Articles/Fostering%20Wellness%20Leadership.pdf

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What strategies can be utilized in identifying individual change readiness attributes regarding the culture of an organization in order to effectively implement health and well-being interventions?

The culture of an organization determines the values and beliefs which are conveyed as important to its members when they are following a standard of behavior (Patnaik, 2011). If this behavior is resistant to change when it comes to health and wellness, what techniques have been proven successful in adopting positive change within this established group? A wellness program is comprised of many working components, but culture is imperative to the sustainability of the movement. The environmental policies and supports should reflect what the employees’ value and expect in order to influence their practices (Aldana et al., 2012). According to Patnaik, there are many typologies of organizational culture, one of which is the tough-guy macho culture, which can breed from a stressful environment (2011). I will be working with police officers which have been indoctrinated with a certain belief on how they are supposed act, which does not always make their self-care a priority. Their openness and preparedness will be paramount in how a wellness program will be received. As in many toolkits we have reviewed regarding worksite wellness, assessment is one of the first steps we must take to determine what the organization needs to be successful. I need to discover the readiness of the individuals, as well as the group, to make broad cultural changes needed to implement mental wellness techniques in a safe and secure environment. I know leadership and peer support will likely play a major role in cultural change but the intricacies of how this will be implemented will also need to be determined.

References
Aldana, S. G., Anderson, D. R., Adams, T. B., Whitmer, W., Merrill, R. M., George, V., & Noyce, J. (2012). A review of the knowledge base on healthy worksite culture. American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 54(4), 414-419.

Patnaik, J.B. (2011). Role of work culture in improving organizational health. Amity Journal of Applied Psychology, 2(1), 40-48.

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How chiefs can safeguard officer mental health before and after mass casualty events

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How chiefs can safeguard officer mental health before and after mass casualty events

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Preventing Suicide:A Technical Package of Policy,Programs, and Practices

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Preventing Suicide:A Technical Package of Policy,Programs, and Practices

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Tools in this section have been gathered and vetted for their usefulness and relevance to a wide range of law enforcement agencies

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Tools in this section have been gathered and vetted for their usefulness and relevance to a wide range of law enforcement agencies

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institute on urban health research and practice

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Vicarious Trauma Toolkit | Tools for Law Enforcement

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The National Occupational Research Agenda for Public Safety is intended to identify the knowledge and actions most urgently needed to promote safety and health in the public safety sector

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The National Occupational Research Agenda for Public Safety is intended to identify the knowledge and actions most urgently needed to promote safety and health in the public safety sector

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The National Occupational Research Agenda for Public Safety is intended to identify the knowledge and actions most urgently needed to promote safety and health in the public safety sector. This agenda provides a vehicle for stakeholders to describe the most relevant issues, research gaps, and needs for the public safety workforce. It is meant to be broader than any one agency or organization.

The Council underwent a systematic process to identify the objectives for the third decade of NORA including: 1) reviewing multiple Public Safety sector documents to assess the burden of current occupational hazards on the public safety workforce, 2) assessing the current investment in burden areas, and 3) comparing national research investments across the public safety workforce. The draft agenda was revised in response to public comments and then finalized.

Objective 1: Reduce cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other chronic diseases

Objective 2: Reduce infectious disease transmission

Objective 3: Reduce musculoskeletal disorders

Objective 4: Reduce motor vehicle injuries

Objective 5: Reduce workplace violence

Objective 6: Promote healthy work design and well-being

Objective 7: Improve surveillance

Objective 8: Improve resilience/preparedness

Page last reviewed:

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Public Safety Sector Council | NORA | CDC

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The National Occupational Research Agenda for Public Safety is intended to identify the knowledge and actions most urgently needed to promote safety and health in the public safety sector. This agenda provides a vehicle for stakeholders to describe the most relevant issues, research gaps, and needs for the public safety workforce.

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Nearly 60 experts in disaster mental health met to examine research on the psychological interventions that are often the first responses to incidents of mass violence

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Nearly 60 experts in disaster mental health met to examine research on the psychological interventions that are often the first responses to incidents of mass violence

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https://asprtracie.hhs.gov/technical-resources/resource/4066/mental-health-and-mass-violence-evidence-based-early-psychological-intervention-for-victims-survivors-of-mass-violence-a-workshop-to-reach-consensus-on-best-practices

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CDC Workplace Health Resource Center | Initiatives | Workplace Health Promotion | CDC

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Work@Health® is an employer-based training program. The ultimate aim of the program is to improve the organizational health of participating employers and certified trainers, with an emphasis on strategies to reduce chronic disease and injury risk to employees and an eye to improving overall worker productivity.

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To help you achieve the best results with the HERO Scorecard we have provided a brief planning process for your use:
Many Scorecard participants have found that one of the key benefits of completing the Scorecard comes from bringing together health and well-being stakeholders from different departments within their organizations to discuss how best to respond to the questions. Collaborating with different stakeholders within the organization may result in more accurate Scorecard responses, enhancing the level of collaboration between health and well-being stakeholders, and identification of new opportunities for integration across programs.

To review the Scorecard questions prior to submitting your responses to the online version, you can download a PDF version (or International PDF version) and consider which individuals within your organizations would best contribute to a response. If possible, set up a meeting with this group and work through the PDF version together. If that's not practical, ask them to fill out the relevant sections of the Scorecard and return it to you.

Once you've collected the responses and have a complete set of answers, you're ready to complete the online Scorecard for your organization. (We cannot accept PDF versions of the Scorecard.) It is important to save and/or download a copy of your responses prior to leaving the online Scorecard, as you may find it useful as a reference when interpreting your score or completing the Scorecard in the future.

Tools

Once you have gathered your answers using the PDF version of the Scorecard, you are ready to go through the questions online and submit your responses. If there are questions you cannot answer, simply skip this question. Of course you will not score points on any skipped question.

Select the appropriate link below to enter the online Scorecard and submit your responses.

Take the HERO Scorecard - U.S. version
Take the HERO Scorecard - International version

Tools

Once you have submitted your answers, your scores will be automatically calculated and sent to the email address you entered.

Tools

After you submit your data to the online Scorecard, you will receive a score for each of the six sections and an overall score. While the scoring system is based on a maximum number of 200 points, the highest score attained on the latest benchmarking analysis was 180. This was based on completion of the US version of the Scorecard. Information will become available on the International version of the Scorecard once enough responses have been collected to develop a normative database.

We don't anticipate that any program will ever receive the maximum score of 200; a program that includes every possible element of health and well-being program is neither likely nor probably even desirable, since not all scored elements are appropriate for all organizations! Consider your organization's score relative to those of peer organizations or to emulator organizations.

Your individual scores provide a sense of how your program compares to others in the use of evidence-based and expert recommended best practices, and shows where opportunity for improvement exists.

You may also check your scores against the National Average and Latest Best Practice Scores.

Tools

Employers can benchmark their programs in greater depth - and against a group of their own peers - through a series of benchmark reports based on employer size, industry and geographic region. These more in-depth reports provide the aggregated responses to each Scorecard question in addition to the average scores.

Benchmark reports for the US version of the Scorecard are currently provided on a quarterly basis through the HERO Scorecard Preferred Providers Program. Organizations that are interested in learning more about the Preferred Providers Program or about the cost to access additional industry or custom benchmark reports may contact Jessica Grossmeier at jessica.grossmeier@hero-health.org.

Tools

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To help you achieve the best results with the HERO Scorecard we have provided a brief planning process for your use: Many Scorecard participants have found that one of the key benefits of completing the Scorecard comes from bringing together health and well-being stakeholders from different departments within their organizations to discuss how best to respond to the questions.

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The fourth version of the Worksite Wellness Resource Kit (March 2018) is a tool to assist worksites with implementing strategies that have been proven to be effective. This fourth edition of the kit provides additional information based on feedback from users and an expert panel that assisted with writing and editing the latest edition.

The emotional well-being section has been expanded and a new financial wellness section has been added, as well as an update of content throughout the document. The kit provides information to implement a broad range of strategies or programming: some strategies will require very little or no resources while others may require considerable resources. The kit shows you ways to get started and make a difference in the health of your employees, regardless of the size of your worksite and its available resources.

Worksite Wellness Resource Kit, P-40135 (PDF) . A PDF version of the full Worksite Wellness Resource Kit.

Complete the order form, F-80025A (Word) to receive a free, printed copy of the resource kit.

If you just want to look at or print a specific section, you can download them here:

What Works in Worksites, P-40133 (PDF) is a companion document to the Worksite Wellness Resource Kit. This two-page summary of evidence-based and promising strategies focuses on helping people eat healthier and be more active in the workplace.

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The fourth version of the Worksite Wellness Resource Kit (March 2018) is a tool to assist worksites with implementing strategies that have been proven to be effective. This fourth edition of the kit provides additional information based on feedback from users and an expert panel that assisted with writing and editing the latest edition.

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Individual and Organization

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Initial Proposal Presentation

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A Strategy for Fighting the "Evil from Within"

As a profession, law enforcement historically has focused on safety strategies that protect officers during their policing duties (e.g., tactical skills, pursuit driving, firearms training, and use-of-force scenarios). Regrettably, agency administrators sometimes do not take into account the daily toll this profession has on those sworn to serve and protect our communities.

Within law enforcement leadership, not much attention has focused on the full spectrum of officer wellness. Agency administrators need to further address the realities of police stress and burnout as they impact the individual as a whole. Otherwise, the profession risks losing officers to cynicism, apathy, chemical dependencies, unhealthy lifestyle choices, and, perhaps, even suicide.
The Need for a Plan

One tactic to remedy some of these issues is the adoption of an employee wellness plan (EWP). If developed and implemented properly, an EWP improves recruitment and retention, enhances job satisfaction, and reduces employee absenteeism.

With all of the resources that agencies devote to improving officers' training, knowledge, experiences, and technology, why should departments not strive to enhance the welfare of their employees-and greatest assets? Today's law enforcement leaders must provide their personnel with the means to enable them to live full, active, productive, and healthy lives. An EWP functions as one such tool.

Modern police leaders must balance their duties of providing for individual officers' wellness and helping them meet the goals and expectations of the agency. These interests do not have to conflict. When police leaders enhance the vitality of their officers, they improve the organization as a whole. A plan that augments the long-term wellness of agency members allows for increased job satisfaction, productivity, and overall health of the organization. An EWP provides employees the tools they need to address their physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health and well-being.

An EWP should encompass an officer's entire career: recruitment, retention, and retirement. The plan must adhere to the current culture of the agency and address the local needs and resources available. Through course work, support networks, and practical recommendations from fellow officers, employees learn numerous wellness techniques to apply to their daily lives. This combination of theoretical and tactical information will help employees improve their personal well-being and maximize their productivity. Further, it will boost the entire agency's morale.
Background
Behavioral science experts who research officer wellness note four specific dimensions-mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual-that comprise the whole person. One researcher explains the whole person as "where the health of the human entity is comprised of the integration, balance, and harmony of one's mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual components." ¹ Just as the human body requires nourishment from nutritious foods, adequate exercise, and rest, the inner self needs nourishment so it, too, will remain healthy. When individuals neglect any one of these whole-person components, their health and well-being suffer.

Sergeant McDonough serves with the Bowling Green, Ohio, Police Department.

As leading experts research how this topic relates to police officers, their findings are gaining notoriety throughout the law enforcement community. Spirituality in law enforcement relates to "a sense of meaning and purpose larger than the instrumental duties of law enforcement, which affects the most critical aspects of practice, performance, vitality, and longevity in the profession. It energizes the ethics of practice, resulting in exemplary (efficient and effective) performance." ²

Spirituality, as described here, does not imply religious beliefs, but, rather, interrelates with the other dimensions listed above. Incorporating spirituality into the workplace comprises an essential component of an EWP. Law enforcement leaders must recognize that every employee has a human spirit not necessarily associated with religion or religiosity. Spirituality impacts how individuals relate to and interact with others on a daily basis, which significantly influences an employee's happiness and well-being.

Many aspects of police work leave officers vulnerable to stressors that affect their personal and professional lives. These toxic stressors, which many experts on workplace spirituality refer to as "evils," include all of the negative influences that employees face on a daily basis. This connotation of evil, like spirituality, does not imply a religious element, but describes the negative influences that can cause employees to make poor decisions in their personal and professional lives. This often leads to increases in citizen complaints, failed marriages, substance abuse, excessive use of sick leave, and officer suicide.
Benefits

An effective law enforcement agency seeks to improve the quality of life for its citizens and to provide the necessary services that the community identifies as important. To meet mission requirements, police leadership must provide the necessary tools for employees to effectively and efficiently complete their jobs. Full attention to officers' wellness comprises a crucial component of this duty.

To combat the stressors of the law enforcement profession, an effective EWP provides officers with the tools to protect their personal well-being even with repeated exposure to violence and trauma. An EWP teaches officers to embrace a holistic approach to wellness, both on and off duty.

In an effort to maximize employee performance, a strong wellness program should embrace the input of local government officials, union members, and police administrators. Collaborating with police chaplains, medical facilities, psychological counseling services, and substance abuse rehabilitation programs increases the chances for successful implementation. As police leaders begin to embrace this philosophy of the whole person, the individual employee and community reap great benefits.

Employees will receive training in the whole person concept and realize that the agency's leadership holds a vested interest in their personal and professional lives.

Personnel will understand better the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual dimensions that influence their lives, helping them to make healthier lifestyle choices.

Officers may improve their physical health, which reduces their use of sick leave and risk of disease.

Personnel will improve how they react to the daily stressors in the workplace, resulting in fewer citizen complaints and internal affairs investigations.

Employees may work more efficiently and productively.

The agency will accomplish its mission more effectively.

Recommendations
An effective EWP must address all four dimensions of the whole person. Additionally, the program should not be limited to any one phase of an officers' training. Rather, an EWP should span officers' entire careers from recruitment through retirement.

Spirituality in Law Enforcement

Upon request, FBI Academy instructors will provide initial training in these topics. Administrators can encourage chiefs of police, sheriffs, police command staffs, supervisors, and their employees from around the region to attend. Training requests should be directed to the FBI Behavioral Science Unit (BSU), FBI Academy, Quantico, VA.

Agencies should develop instructors, both internally and externally, to take advantage of available local resources (e.g., law enforcement professionals, counselors, and medical workers) to provide assistance and direction for the annual EWP training courses.

Law enforcement administrators should invite and encourage the local faith community and counseling services to provide information and assistance to employees and families, and they should establish avenues to access these programs.

Agencies can invite and encourage family members of personnel to participate in employee wellness activities when appropriate.

"If developed and implemented properly, an EWP improves recruitment and retention, enhances job satisfaction, and reduces employee absenteeism."

Law enforcement administrators should create a wellness guide that prepares recruits for the violence and other traumatic events that they might witness on a daily basis. This material should address the whole person wellness philosophy, as well as the dangers of workplace stressors and their relationship to the law enforcement community. It should explain, in detail, the long-term, daily exposure to these toxins in police work and how they can lead to burnout and other adverse effects. Additionally, the guide should offer strategies to counter the negative influences pervading police ranks and promote healthy lifestyle choices, such as proper fitness and nutrition.

To create this material, agencies can seek assistance from police chaplaincy programs, human resource departments, civil service/merit commissions, counseling services, local universities' psychological services departments, and other local agencies. The guide also should instruct officers how to access these services if needed. The wellness guide should be available to prospective recruits during the application phase, along with all other related testing materials, and current employees should be able to access the guide as well.
Field Training
Upon graduating from the police academy and entering a field training program, new officers should continue to receive instruction on EWP practices. This will supplement the information they learn from the wellness guide they receive during recruitment and ensure that they apply this training to their daily duties.

Field training instructors should provide officers with strategies to protect their physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Essential topics for each category include the:

importance of exercise, proper nutrition, and adequate rest for optimum physical health;

risks of mental anguish, including anxiety and depression, among law enforcement officers, as well as access to local counseling services and peer support groups;

physiology of normal emotional reactions to stressful situations and appropriate coping mechanisms; and

toxic stressors inherent in the law enforcement profession and how to use spirituality to combat them and improve the whole person.

Active Duty Officers
An exhaustive EWP will continue to educate officers on these topics throughout their careers. As police accumulate years of experience in this stressful profession, wellness strategies become even more crucial to ensure personnel remain healthy-inside and out.

To protect officers' well-being throughout their careers, administrators should implement a Personnel Early Warning System (PEWS). This system provides personnel of all ranks a channel through which to voice concerns for their colleagues. When management receives notice that an employee may demonstrate symptoms of stress and burnout, they can assess the situation and provide assistance if necessary. Programs, such as PEWS, lessen the risk that officers who suffer from work-related stress will resort to destructive behaviors that harm themselves and the entire department.

Additionally, to reinforce wellness strategies, employees should receive annual EWP in-service training to receive the most up-to-date information on these topics. To ensure the program remains relevant and engaging, administrators should encourage employees to offer suggestions for additions or deletions to the course content. Resources from pertinent outside agencies would augment further the training curriculum. Possible EWP training topics include suicide prevention; physical fitness and nutrition; substance abuse and its symptoms; maintenance of one's personal and professional relationships; support following toxic encounters, such as child homicides; available counseling services or other wellness resources; and any additional areas of EWP training deemed appropriate.
Preretirement and Beyond

"A plan that augments the long-term wellness of agency members allows for increased job satisfaction, productivity, and overall health of the organization."

Agency administrators must consider how to incorporate the EWP into the standard preretirement process for all employees. The detrimental impact of decades of law enforcement work will not disappear as soon as officers leave the department. If agencies fail to consider the future health and well-being of employees as they near the end of their careers, officers may continue to struggle with these symptoms as they adjust to retirement.

First, agencies should extend all EWP benefits, such as access to chaplains and counseling services, to retired employees. Former officers may benefit from these resources just as greatly, if not more so, than those who serve currently.

Also, administrators should create an Employee Wellness Program Network (EWPN) to help retiring officers remain connected to the department and their colleagues. Membership should represent both retired and active employees, and the network should act as a support mechanism for each group. The EWPN would bridge the gap between the retired and current members of the organization, keeping retired employees connected to the personnel and services of the agency. This continued relationship ensures that retirees do not become isolated from the support and resources that all officers-former and current-need to maintain their health and wellness.
Conclusion
Although the scope of an employee wellness plan is quite significant, the benefits can pay long-term dividends for employees, families, the organization, and the community. Employee vitality is essential to meet the agency's mission; as such, spirituality, vitality, and wellness are paramount for an effective organization. A physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually healthy workforce offers the best opportunity for mission completion. When police leadership promotes healthy lifestyle decisions-and provides officers the necessary tools to make them-they help ensure the vitality of the employees and organization now and for years to come.

Most often, police leadership attends to the needs of officers as related to their physical survival. However, physical health alone does not protect officers from the ill effects of the law enforcement profession. Incorporating the remaining three components of health (mental, emotional, and spiritual) into an agency wellness plan provides the best strategy to keep a department's most valuable asset-its employees-from developing habits that sabotage their ability to survive a career in law enforcement and beyond.

Endnotes
¹ Brian Luke Seward, "Reflections on Human Spirituality for the Worksite," American Journal for Health Promotion, no. 3 (January/February 1995): 165-168.
² Samuel L. Feemster, "Spirituality: The DNA of Law Enforcement Practice," FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, November 2007, 8-17.

"A physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually healthy workforce offers the best opportunity for mission completion."

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The Employee Wellness Plan: A Strategy for Fighting the "Evil from Within" | FBI: Law Enforcement Bulletin

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A Strategy for Fighting the "Evil from Within" As a profession, law enforcement historically has focused on safety strategies that protect officers during their policing duties (e.g., tactical skills, pursuit driving, firearms training, and use-of-force scenarios). Regrettably, agency administrators sometimes do not take into account the daily toll this profession has on those sworn to serve and protect our communities.

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Policing is a difficult and stressful job, with higher physical risks and mental health risks than many other professions. Studies have shown that when officers' physical and mental health issues go unaddressed, job performance decreases, decision-making abilities are impaired, and agency costs increase. Everyone should be invested in maintaining police officers' wellness because it has a direct impact on officers' ability to be effective.

In recognition of the critical role that officer wellness plays in police work, law enforcement agencies across the country have created programs aimed at preserving and promoting officers' physical and emotional health. These initiatives have been broadly referred to as officer safety and wellness programs. Many programs also have been expanded to include civilian employees, as well as sworn officers.

In 2016, the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) entered into a cooperative agreement with the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) to conduct a case study of the San Diego (California) Police Department's (SDPD) officer wellness program, which is considered one of the top programs in the country.5 PERF is studying the program to identify promising practices, lessons learned, and model policies for other agencies to consider when implementing their own wellness initiatives.

While the SDPD has long offered wellness-related programs, such as peer support, stress management training, and access to psychologists and police chaplains, these services were decentralized. In July of 2011, SDPD leaders established the Wellness Unit, which is fully staffed and located in an easily accessible location in SDPD headquarters, in order to coordinate the delivery of the various decentralized services. The new unit was staffed by two sworn officers, whose very first task was deploying resources after an SDPD detective and her daughter were murdered. In the weeks that followed, the Wellness Unit responded to four more officer deaths. This series of tragedies demonstrated that the services of the Wellness Unit were needed.

Today, the Wellness Unit continues to be a highly utilized and visible presence within SDPD. Its mission is "removing and reducing interferences to employee wellness, whether personally or professionally induced, by providing help resources, training, and intervention." The Wellness Unit's responsibilities include identifying resources for employees, assisting employees in crisis, and provide training, educational seminars, and workshops. The unit also manages all department "help services," including the Peer Support Program, Police Chaplain Program, Alcohol/Substance Abuse Program, and psychological services. These programs and services are available to all sworn and civilian employees, as well as their family members.

As part of its case study, PERF conducted two site visits to SDPD and interviewed key stakeholders from all of SDPD's wellness program components. This includes Wellness Unit staff (past and present), help services providers (police chaplains and members of the counseling team), command staff, peer support members, and members of the department who have utilized wellness services. Additionally, PERF staff observed wellness-related trainings and interviewed academy graduates who received wellness services, such as the Psychological Preparedness Training for New Officers. This training is offered immediately after graduation from the academy and is intended for new officers and their family members so that they are all familiar with SDPD's wellness services and the importance of using them when needed.

Project team members also visited the Wellness Unit's office, the Wellness Center. The center is strategically located in SDPD headquarters (rather than off-site) to encourage officer engagement and reduce any stigma about utilizing wellness services. The Wellness Center offers coffee and snacks, and is centered on a relaxed lounge area, designed to encourage department members to casually visit the center to learn more about its role and the services it provides. Even when the center is not open, the unit's full-time staff members ensure that wellness resources are available to department personnel 24 hours a day, seven days a week by making themselves accessible by phone through an on-call protocol.8

The unit appears to be an effective catalyst for strengthening a culture of wellness within SDPD. In a 2013 survey, SDPD employees described a greater awareness of employee wellness and resiliency building within the agency. A majority of respondents reported a reduction in the stigma associated with asking for help, and said they would feel comfortable walking into the Wellness Unit regardless of the reason for the visit. Nearly all participants had heard of the Wellness Unit's services, and more than half had utilized the services.

The forthcoming report will outline a set of policy and programmatic recommendations based on lessons from the San Diego Police Department's wellness initiatives. Other law enforcement agencies will be able to use these recommendations to create their own customized wellness programs that reflect their needs and resources.

Elizabeth Miller
Police Executive Research Forum

Madeline Sloan
Police Executive Research Forum

References:
1. Hartley, T.A., Burchfiel, C.M., Fekedulegn, D., Andrew, M.E., & Violanti, J.M. (2011). Health Disparities in Police Officers: Comparisons to the U.S. General Population. International Journal of Emergency Mental Health, 13 (4): 211-220.

2. Fox, J., Desai, M.M., Britten, K., Lucas, G., Luneau, R., & Rosenthal, M.S. (2012). Mental-Health Conditions, Barriers to Care, and Productivity Loss Among Officers in An Urban Police Department. Connecticut Medicine, 76 (9): 525-531.

3. Andersen, J. P., Konstantinos, P., Arnetz, B.B., Collins, P.I. (2015). Mental Preparedness as a Pathway to Police Resilience and Optimal Functioning in the Line of Duty. International Journal of Emergency Mental Health and Human Resilience, 17(3): 624-627.

4. Kuhns, J.B., Maguire, E.R., & Leach, N.R. (2015). Health, Safety, and Wellness Program Case Studies in Law Enforcement. Washington, DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.

5. Officer Wellness Winner. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.nleomf.org/programs/destination-zero/award-winner-submissions/officer-wellness/officer-wellness-winner-2016.html

6. That number has grown to four in the intervening years. It also now includes a civilian department member.

7. San Diego Police Department. (2016). Wellness Unit Operations Manual.

8. Though the Wellness Unit has an on-call protocol, they are all accessible to department members regardless.

9. San Diego Wellness Unit, 2013 Employee Survey.

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The San Diego Police Department's Officer Wellness Program

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Policing is a difficult and stressful job, with higher physical risks and mental health risks than many other professions. Studies have shown that when officers' physical and mental health issues go unaddressed, job performance decreases, decision-making abilities are impaired, and agency costs increase.

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Legislation information on this website

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The Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act of 2017 (LEMHWA) was signed into law in January 2018, recognizing that law enforcement agencies need and deserve support in their ongoing efforts to protect the mental health and well-being of their employees. Good mental and psychological health is just as essential as good physical health for law enforcement officers to be effective in keeping our country and our communities safe from crime and violence.

This web page will help you stay on top of the latest news related to LEMHWA and the latest efforts of the COPS Office and our partners across the Federal Government to implement it.

THE LEMHWA REPORTS

Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act: Report to Congress
Good mental and psychological health is just as essential as good physical health for law enforcement officers to be effective in keeping our country and our communities safe from crime and violence. With the passage of the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act, Congress took an important step in improving the delivery of and access to mental health and wellness services that will help our nation's more than 800,000 federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement officers. Many things, including strong relationships with the community, help keep officers safe on the job. This act called for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to submit a report to Congress on mental health practices and services in the U.S. Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs that could be adopted by federal, state, local, or tribal law enforcement agencies and containing recommendations to Congress on effectiveness of crisis lines for law enforcement officers, efficacy of annual mental health checks for law enforcement officers, expansion of peer mentoring programs, and ensuring privacy considerations for these types of programs. The DOJ is pleased to respond to this requirement of the act with this report.

Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Programs: Eleven Case Studies
The Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act of 2017 calls for the COPS Office to publish case studies of programs designed primarily to address officer psychological health and well-being. Aiming to focus on innovative but replicable programs in law enforcement agencies of various sizes around the country, the authors conducted 11 case studies of programs in 10 departments and one call-in crisis line. Each chapter of this publication describes agencies' programs and their origins, focusing on elements that can be implemented elsewhere in the effort to protect the mental and emotional health of law enforcement officers, their nonsworn colleagues, and their families.

Funding Opportunities with LEMHWA

In FY 2019, the COPS Office is providing funding to improve the delivery of and access to mental health and wellness services for law enforcement through training and technical assistance, demonstration projects, and implementation of promising practices related to peer mentoring programs that are national in scope. The LEMHWA solicitation is open to all public governmental agencies, for-profit and nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, community groups, and faith-based organizations. For more information, visit the 2019 Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act Program page.

Next Steps

Reports of broad recommendations and collections of case studies are only part of the solution. Organizations can also look at their own policies and operations for opportunities. For example, how much control does your agency have in choosing a health insurance plan for your employees? Agencies can proactively decide to look for plans that do not place restrictions on behavioral health benefits and that have sufficient provider networks for beneficiaries to access. Even when provider choices are limited, agencies can also look to develop leave and scheduling policies that make it possible for employees to access services.

The COPS Office is committed to continuing to work with partners across the Federal Government and beyond to develop resources that will help law enforcement agencies address the organizational and managerial practices and actions that can affect the well-being of the officers they employ. As we identify and release additional information relating to the themes addressed in LEMHWA, you'll always be able to find them here on our LEMHWA resource page.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Now that you have read the reports, are you interested in learning more about mental health and wellness? Explore some of these additional resources and ideas to help you and your agency take the next steps in building resilient officers and organizations.

1. Stay on top of the ongoing work of the COPS Office/BJA-sponsored National Officer Safety and Wellness Group. https://cops.usdoj.gov/oswg

2. Learn more the link between stress and health & safety and how crucial it is to take action on these recommendations from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). https://blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/2012/08/13/policestress and https://blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/2017/05/16/officer-safety-research

3. Follow the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) for Public Safety. This agenda was written with assistance from members of the Public Safety Sector Council that includes representation from the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO), and Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in February 2019. https://www.cdc.gov/nora/councils/pubsaf/research_agenda.html

4. Read the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Preventing Suicide: A Technical Package of Policy, Programs, and Practices. This guide presents a select group of strategies based on the best available evidence to help communities and states sharpen their focus on prevention activities with the greatest potential to prevent suicide. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/suicidetechnicalpackage.pdf

5. Learn about a 2001 workshop organized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and American Red Cross gathered 58 disaster mental health experts from six countries to address the impact of early psychological interventions and to identify what works, what doesn't work, and what the gaps are in our knowledge. https://asprtracie.hhs.gov/technical-resources/resource/4066/mental-health-and-mass-violence-evidence-based-early-psychological-intervention-for-victims-survivors-of-mass-violence-a-workshop-to-reach-consensus-on-best-practices

6. Create a vicarious trauma-informed organization with assistance from the Office for Victims of Crime's (OVC) Vicarious Trauma Toolkit. The toolkit was developed on the premise that exposure to the traumatic experiences of other people-known as vicarious trauma-is an inevitable occupational challenge for the fields of victim services, emergency medical services, fire services, law enforcement, and other allied professionals; however, organizations can mitigate the potentially negative effects of trauma exposure by becoming vicarious trauma-informed. https://vtt.ovc.ojp.gov/

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Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness (LEMHWA) Program Resources

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The Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act of 2017 (LEMHWA) was signed into law in January 2018, recognizing that law enforcement agencies need and deserve support in their ongoing efforts to protect the mental health and well-being of their employees.

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Creating a Recipe for Employee Engagement

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Creating a Recipe for Employee Engagement

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When executives do this right, they help their organizations thrive

Individual well-being, employee engagement, and a culture of well-being link to important organizational outcomes, such as productivity, health, and employee retention. These factors complement and affect one another in ways that leaders, managers, and organizations can influence.

Managers should be aware of their own engagement and well-being.

So says a recent Gallup study that explored relationships among individual well-being, employee engagement, and a well-being culture over time. The study asked more than 5,000 full-time workers in the U.S. questions about their engagement, well-being, and workplace, then resurveyed them using the same questions about a year later. "We wanted to understand how the elements of well-being, engagement, and culture complement and influence each other," says Jim Harter, Ph.D., Gallup's chief scientist of workplace management and well-being.

The study also revealed:

Individual well-being had an effect on future employee engagement and changes in employee engagement. "If people had higher well-being in year one, they would tend to have higher engagement in year two and a more positive change in engagement in year two," Harter says. "People that have high individual well-being are more likely to see their workplace as positive, productive, and engaging. Conversely, if they are struggling or suffering, it rubs off on the workplace and the team."

Employee engagement in year one affected future well-being culture and well-being culture change. "When you have an engaging team, you're more likely to have an open and trusting culture," Harter says. "That encourages people to talk openly about well-being in ways that positively influence each other's well-being."

These positive changes in individual well-being and employee engagement fed further improvements in well-being and engagement, completing a healthy organizational cycle.

How managers can promote well-being and employee engagement
So here's how managers can keep engagement alive in year one and year two (and in years three, four, and beyond):

Be aware of their own engagement and well-being. As the research shows, there's a strong connection between well-being and engagement, and that applies to managers as well as their employees. For example, employees may not be aware of all the well-being opportunities a company offers, but a manager who discusses and promotes them can encourage his employees to get involved in well-being activities. This reflects a powerful cascade effect from managers to employees, Harter says: "When managers care about their well-being, their team members take a greater interest in their own well-being."

Give employees a platform to recognize the actions they're taking to improve their well-being and engagement. "A lot of studies are showing that change happens because of our social environment," Harter says. "Norms are shared in a way that's contagious, and companies and managers can help set those norms. But the team will carry them forward."

Employees who are engaged and thriving also have greater agility and resilience. "When people are engaged and have thriving well-being, their life situations don't weigh them down and keep them from performing," Harter says. "They see changes as opportunities, not problems." That's a constructive perspective, and managers who promote it by encouraging well-being and engagement will help their companies reap the benefits in year one and beyond.

The Five Essential Elements of Well-Being

For more than 50 years, Gallup scientists have been exploring the demands of a life well-lived. More recently, in partnership with leading economists, psychologists, and other acclaimed scientists, Gallup has uncovered the common elements of well-being that transcend countries and cultures. This research revealed the universal elements of well-being that differentiate a thriving life from one spent suffering. They represent five broad categories that are essential to most people:

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How to Create a Culture of Organizational Well-Being

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When executives do this right, they help their organizations thrive Individual well-being, employee engagement, and a culture of well-being link to important organizational outcomes, such as productivity, health, and employee retention. These factors complement and affect one another in ways that leaders, managers, and organizations can influence.

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Gallup's research shows a clear link between employee engagement and well-being, with managers serving as a conduit between the two.

These days, doctors aren't the only ones interested in well-being. Banks, pharmacies, grocers, and other businesses are introducing programs designed to enhance their customers' wellness. But of all the places you go each day, your workplace may have the greatest influence on your well-being. And the person who can best help you achieve results is someone you probably least expect: your manager.

Many employers have hopped aboard the wellness bandwagon in recent years, recognizing that they can play an influential role in helping employees curtail unhealthy behaviors that can lead to costly chronic conditions. A recent RAND Corporation study found that more than 85% of U.S. companies employing 1,000 people or more offer some sort of workplace wellness program. It's safe to assume that these companies genuinely want to help their employees lead healthier lives while seeing a healthier bottom line too. Not only do employers spend a fortune subsidizing employees' healthcare costs, but they also see greater productivity and fewer missed workdays from employees with higher well-being.

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being 5

Gallup and Healthways have developed a comprehensive, definitive source of well-being measurement, the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being 5. This scientific survey instrument and reporting experience measures, tracks, and reports on the well-being of individuals and organizations. The five essential elements of well-being are:

Purpose: liking what you do each day and being motivated to achieve your goals

Social: having supportive relationships and love in your life

Financial: managing your economic life to reduce stress and increase security

Community: liking where you live, feeling safe, and having pride in your community

Physical: having good health and enough energy to get things done daily

Yet simply offering a wellness program -- no matter how well-intentioned -- provides no guarantee of improving employees' well-being. Workers must be aware the program exists and be persuaded to use it -- and that's where things get tricky. Though more than 85% of large employers offer a wellness program, Gallup research shows that only 60% of U.S. employees are aware that their company offers a wellness program -- and only 40% of those who are aware of the program say they actually participate in it. The upshot is that at companies that offer wellness programs, only 24% of employees are participating. For companies that provide these programs, it might be time for a checkup.
The manager's role in improving employees' well-being
Clearly, companies must do more work to close the awareness and participation gaps that plague workplace wellness programs, and this is where managers play a vital role. Managers are uniquely positioned to ensure that each of their employees knows about the company's wellness program, to encourage team members to take part, and to create accountability for results.

Gallup's research shows a clear link between employee engagement and well-being, with managers serving as a conduit between the two. Managers account for at least 70% of team variation on employee engagement. And engaging employees is vital to getting them involved in company-sponsored initiatives, because engaged workers are 28% more likely to participate in a wellness program offered by their company than are average employees. And research findings suggest a contagion effect; direct reports of managers with high overall well-being are 15% more likely to have high overall well-being six months later.

It takes great managers to engage employees. Over the past decade, Gallup has worked with hundreds of organizations to help their managers create engagement and boost employees' well-being. To measure engagement, we ask employees to respond to 12 statements, including whether their supervisor (or someone at work) seems to care about them as a person. This statement in particular reveals whether workers feel that their manager truly cares about their well-being. Those who agree with it are more likely to be top performers and to produce higher quality work, and they are less likely to get sick, change jobs, or be injured at work.

But before managers can talk to employees one-on-one about their well-being, they must first build trusting relationships with their direct reports so team members feel comfortable discussing sensitive topics and setting health-related goals with them. This can be a challenge. A 2008 Gallup study revealed that, on average, employees find spending time with their boss about two to four times as unpleasant as spending time with friends. Men in particular report high levels of stress and low levels of happiness when spending time with their managers.

Too many company wellness programs focus solely on Physical Well-Being.

Managers who engage their employees have an edge when it comes to boosting workplace well-being, though. Engaged employees are more than two times as likely as actively disengaged employees to say they are very or somewhat comfortable discussing their well-being with their manager.
Engagement isn't enough to guarantee well-being
Though engagement is essential to creating a culture of workplace well-being, it's not enough on its own to create high well-being in all five elements. When employees are engaged, they're twice as likely as average employees to have thriving well-being in four or five elements, but two-thirds of engaged employees still struggle or suffer in two or more of the five elements.

What's more, the five well-being elements are interdependent and reinforce one another. When employees are thriving in multiple elements, it becomes easier for them to accomplish things that are in their own best interest, such as maintaining good physical health. If you have thriving Social Well-Being, for example, it's more likely that people you care about will be interested in your health. People with more daily stress make worse decisions in the moment. But if you have thriving Financial Well-Being, you will have less daily stress, which makes it more likely you will not fall back on instant gratification that may work against your long-term health interests.
Well-being is more than physical health
Companies are most successful at creating a culture of well-being when they provide managers with the right tools for a holistic, multifaceted approach. Workers are more likely to thrive when their companies and managers address their needs in each of the five elements, rather than simply focusing on Physical Well-Being interventions, such as programs that encourage employees to exercise or quit smoking.

Yet too many company wellness programs focus solely on Physical Well-Being, leaving employees to languish in the other four elements. Maximizing workplace initiatives to encompass all five well-being elements will pay dividends by helping companies improve their bottom line and outperform competitors. When comparing adults who are thriving in just Physical Well-Being with those thriving in all five elements, those in the latter group:

report 41% fewer unhealthy days

are more than twice as likely to say they always adapt well to change

are 36% more likely to say they always fully bounce back after an illness

are 23% more likely to donate money

are 43% more likely to have volunteered

are 65% less likely to be involved in a workplace accident

are 81% less likely to look for a new job when the job market improves

Workplace wellness plans aren't cheap. RAND estimates that these programs cost U.S. companies a combined $6 billion a year. But if they're done right, they have the potential to offset rising healthcare costs and build a more productive workforce. To ensure that wellness programs achieve this potential, companies must regularly audit their wellness initiatives to determine whether employees are participating in and benefiting from them. If they aren't, it's vital to find out why. An ineffective program drains financial resources, erodes credibility, and yields no return on investment.
What businesses can do
To determine whether their company's wellness program is making a difference at key organizational levels, leaders must be able to answer yes to these questions:

Culture: Do my company's programs encompass all five well-being elements? Does our organizational culture support our wellness initiatives? For example, is it socially acceptable in our organization for employees to exercise in the middle of the day or to leave early to participate in a charitable function?

Leaders: Do all my company's leaders support the well-being initiative? Do they regularly communicate the value of the program and reinforce how it fits with the organization's purpose and brand identity? Do they consistently model the behaviors that the program seeks to impart?

Managers: Are all managers successful at engaging their teams? Do they create the time and focus for employees to participate in the right company-sponsored programs to develop their well-being? Do they help their team members set goals to improve their well-being?

As long as healthcare costs continue to skyrocket -- and diabetes, heart disease, and other preventable conditions remain a threat to public health -- wellness programs will continue to proliferate. U.S. companies that promote wellness are on the right track to help workers control their healthcare costs and lead more productive lives, but their wellness programs are probably not as effective as leaders want them to be.

Companies can improve the prognosis for better results if they enlist managers to promote well-being initiatives with their teams and in one-on-one conversations with their employees. Expanding wellness programs to track, manage, and enhance employees' well-being in all of the five elements can help companies reduce healthcare costs while improving employee performance and customer engagement.

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Why Your Workplace Wellness Program Isn't Working

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Gallup's research shows a clear link between employee engagement and well-being, with managers serving as a conduit between the two. These days, doctors aren't the only ones interested in well-being. Banks, pharmacies, grocers, and other businesses are introducing programs designed to enhance their customers' wellness.

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Executive Summary

Despite multiple national initiatives, the suicide rate among police officers remains constant and higher than line of duty deaths. Recent research identifies mindfulness techniques as an effective way to improve mental health, including the risk factors of depression and suicide. While a significant portion of resources and funding are allocated to ensure the safety and physical fitness of officers, including firearms training and physical fitness programs, there is a limited number of holistic programs that ensure officers' mental health wellness. Based on current research and pioneer initiatives, this document explores the following question: What role can mindfulness practices play in reducing the risk of suicide among police officers? The document concludes with recommendations for law enforcement agencies, including implementation of evidence-based mindfulness practices and cultivation a pro-wellness work etiquette.

Introduction

Based on data between 1999 and 2015, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) places suicide as the second leading cause of death among all races and sexes for ages 25-34, and fourth for ages 35-44 (CDC, 2019). Given that the mean age of police officers is about 40 years, this group is at a higher risk of suicide (DataUsa, 2019). Additionally, the inability to deal with high levels of stress and trauma associated with the job makes police officers especially vulnerable to depression and feelings of hopelessness, directly linked to the risk of suicide (BLUE H.E.L.P., 2019; IACP, 2018; Mindful Justice, 2018). Despite the lack of a central database for suicide reporting, experts argue that law enforcement officers have a 54% greater chance of dying from suicide than members of the general population. This results in an average of 160 officers taking their lives every year (Vargas, 2019; The Crime Report, 2019), placing suicide higher than line of duty deaths (Heyman, Dill, & Douglas, 2018; see Appendix A).

Despite the high risk of suicide, an organizational culture of masculinity and toughness often prevents officers from seeking the mental health care they need. The problem is further compounded by the lack of mandatory reporting of officer suicide (IACP, 2013; Yeoman, 2017). Consequently, agencies are unable to fully access the scope of the problem and identify individuals whose mental wellness needs improvement (Vargas, 2019). A growing number of agencies, both domestic and international, recognize the importance of mental wellness (IACP, 2018) and adopt evidence-based mindfulness techniques as an effective way to improve mental health, including the risk factors of depression and suicide (Bergman, Christopher, & Bowen, 2016; Trombka et al., 2018; Yeoman, 2017). This document explores current suicide prevention programs as well as evidence-based mindfulness practices that could prove effective in suicide prevention.

Leading Causes of Suicide

Suicide is not caused by a single event but an accumulation of unresolved stress and trauma (The Crime Report, 2019). Research also suggests that police officers have a much lower life expectancy as compared to the general population (Violanti et al., 2013). Officers are exposed to a multitude of psychological risks associated with organizational stressors, including high job demands, decision-making latitude, organizational culture, and interpersonal relations. These risks are likely to result in prolonged stress, obesity, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), cardiac arrest, or suicide (Bonner, 2000; Goh et al., 2015; Patterson, 2002; Violanti et al., 2017). For example, 9-19% of all police officers suffer from PTSD, which could have been caused by witnessing homicides and having contact with dead bodies, accident and assault victims, and abused children (Violanti et al., 2013). Additionally, female officers were more likely to show metabolic syndromes associated with stress from organizational pressure and lack of support (Hartley et al., 2011).

Other studies show consistent and troubling results. For example, police officers witness an average of 188 critical incidents through their careers (Chopko, Palmieri, and Adams, 2015). These traumatic events could include killing someone by accident, witnessing death, being held hostage, being seriously beaten, or having loved ones threatened (see Appendix B for a full list of critical incidents). Accumulated trauma leads to PTSD and depression, with rates five times higher for police officers as compared to the general population, contributing to poor physical health, impaired decision-making, and ultimately suicide (Chopko et al., 2015; Violanti et al., 2017; Heyman et al., 2018).

Officer Wellness and Suicide Prevention

Officer suicide does not only put strain on already tight agency budgets (Violanti et al., 2013), but also limits the number of officers protecting the community (IACP, 2018). Given the high controversy of the topic, increased media coverage has been given to the mental and emotional toll of the job, as well as the need to protect those who safeguard their communities (The Crime Report, 2019). As a result, a multitude of legislations and reports recommend focusing on policies and programs that promote physical and psychological wellness of law enforcement officers (IACP, 2018).

The Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act of 2017 is designed to make mental health services more accessible to law enforcement officers (US Congress, 2018). More specifically, the Department of Justice, Department of Defense, and the Department of Veterans Affairs are tasked with developing resources that would address the mental health needs of the officers. The legislation would grant funding for developing peer mentoring pilot programs and training for mental health providers, specific to law enforcement mental health needs and supporting law enforcement officers by studying the effectiveness of crisis hotlines and annual mental health checks (US Congress, 2018).

In addition to the new legislation, the COPS Office (Kuhns et al., 2015) and the IACP (2018) provide recommendations for mental and physical wellness program implementation based on several model examples:

1. San Antonio, TX: Performance Recovery Optimization (PRO©). This program is based on the the military program that sought to reduce and prevent psychological trauma by teaching soldiers and veterans stress management techniques that would make them more resilient to the rigors of combat. PRO© includes an eight-hour training session for cadets and a five-hour in-service training for officers, as well as an elective three-day professional development course. Although research shows that only daily practice yields long-term results (Jha et al., 2016), the program is not incorporated into the daily officer routine. Additionally, the program is mainly based on physical responses as opposed to emotional causes of stress.

2. San Antonio, TX: Peer Support Team. The program provides an early intervention to keep stress from escalating into distress. Peer mentors specialize in topics like grief, children's issues, acute stress disorder, and substance abuse. Although the program focuses on detecting early signs of stress, it does not teach the officers how to cope with negative emotions during high-stress critical incidents.

3. Camden County, NJ: Wellness Coach. The program is designed to promote health and wellness by having a certified wellness coach visit police departments monthly to advise officers on topics such as exercise, fitness, and conditioning; tobacco cessation; weight loss; stress management; nutrition; high blood pressure and heart disease; diabetes; and more. Although the program emphasizes overall wellness, it does not require officers to engage in daily exercises.

4. Reno, NV: Resiliency and wellness program. The program is designed to screen officers for early indications of heart disease and diabetes. Although the program is designed to detect physical manifestations of stress, it does not offer long-term preventive methods.

Based on the consensus of diverse organizations, there is a need for programs that improve overall mental and physical heath of officers (IACP, 2018; Kuhns et al., 2015; US Congress, 2018). However, the overwhelming number of wellness and suicide prevention programs are reactive in nature. Some programs focus on physical fitness or addressing pre-existing health conditions, while no program recommends proactive measures, including daily mindfulness practices to target the underlying causes of suicide, including stress, anxiety, and depression.

Mindfulness in Practice

The participatory medicine movement emphasizes being proactive for one's health (identifying and countering initial symptoms), as opposed to reactive (trying to address a health problem after it occurs; usually involves hospitalization and medication). Mindfulness is based on the idea of proactive medicine and can be defined as paying attention to the present moment on purpose and without judgement. More specifically, meditation and breathing exercises heighten awareness and generate a deep state of relaxation (Kabat-Zinn, 2013; Air Force New, 2017). According to Dr. Kabat-Zinn, a leader in mindfulness practices and the creator of the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, "by focusing on the breath, the idea is to cultivate attention on the body and mind as it is moment to moment, and so help with pain, both physical and emotional" (Booth, 2017). Research outlines a multitude of benefits of mindfulness practices, including the ability to deal with stress, chronic pain, and make decisions based on logic as opposed to emotions.

What Does the Research Say?

Mindfulness training involves teaching people skills to focus their attention on the present moment, without emotional reactivity. As pointed out by Dr. Amishi Jha, another leader in mindfulness research and a co-director of the University of Miami Mindfulness Initiative, strengthening our cognitive capacity makes us more likely to remain calm and focused in moments of high emotional intensity or stress. As a result, we are less likely to be affected by anger, fear, or worry (Tannen, 2018). Research shows that mindfulness can reduce organizational stress, but also improve problem solving skills and emotional resilience among high-functioning groups, including elite military forces and police officers (Bergman, Christopher, & Bowen, 2016; Jha et al., 2017; Pe et al., 2013; Schmeichel et al., 2010; Zanesco et al., 2018).

Special Operations Forces (SOF) who participated in a month-long mindfulness course reported improved attention and working memory, which are necessary to reduce emotional reactivity and increase problem solving skills. The mindfulness program consisted of 8-hour weekly in-class trainings and 15 minutes of daily guided meditation (Zanesco et al., 2018). The findings are consistent with previous studies on military cohorts that point to increased cognitive resilience during stressful and emotionally degrading situations. Researchers argue that mindfulness training helps troops deal with the distress and emotional disturbance of deployment. More specifically, mindfulness training can help enhance one's ability to deal with negative feelings and regulate one's emotions, especially among high-functioning groups like police officers (Pe et al., 2013; Schmeichel et al., 2010).

Servicemembers who practiced mindfulness reported relatively constant levels of negative emotions, while those with no such training reported increased negative emotions during the pre-deployment period (Jha et al., 2017). Additionally, US Marine reservists who went through an 8-week mindfulness and decision-making training, including a total of 24 hours of class time, a 2-hour meeting, and a day-long silence workshop, were less likely to experience deceased attention, which left untreated could result in diminished performance and resilience to deal with stress. Lastly, in addition to elite military service members, police officers could benefit from mindfulness training to improve their cognitive skills (Jha et al., 2017).

In addition to building emotional resilience, mindfulness has been directly linked to depression prevention. Studies have shown that developing mindfulness skills and self-compassion creates reduced reactivity and depressive thinking among participants (Kuyken et al., 2010; 2015). Additionally, studies on mindfulness among law enforcement officers suggest that the techniques reduce organizational as well as operational stress and anger (Bergman, Christopher, & Bowen, 2016). In addition, other studies found that mindfulness had a positive impact on overall resilience, perceived stress, burnout, emotional intelligence, difficulties with emotion regulation, mental health, physical health, anger, fatigue, and sleep disturbance (Christopher et al., 2014). However, nearly all mindfulness studies suffer from a small sample size (Stetka, 2017). Nevertheless, the growing interest in the technique provides an opportunity for a large-scale randomized and rigorous test of its effectiveness among those organizations and agencies who are voluntary pioneers in mindfulness training.

Mindfulness Pioneers

The New Zealand Air Force (2017) and the US military were among the first proponents of the benefits of mindfulness. According to Woodbourne Base Psychologist Flight Lieutenant Carsten Grimm, evidence-based mindfulness training enhances officers' attention and adaptability by helping them to stay calm and regulate their emotions. In other words, mindfulness gives officers resilience tools to better deal with the amount of workload and the emotional demands of the job. Consequently, mindfulness training has been incorporated into recruit courses and officer training, and has received a positive response. More specifically, the techniques helped officers understand how they were feeling and reacting, but perhaps most importantly how to apply these skills during work and at home (Air Force News, 2017).

Similarly, research conducted by Dr. Jha and her colleagues (2015, 2017) has been the basis for the mindfulness techniques used by the US military and police force. The US Army emphasizes the need for strengthened cognitive and physical capabilities of their soldiers (Myers, 2015). More specifically, mindfulness is a promising technique to help soldiers deal with the psychological toll of deployment, including stress and anxiety of high-performance in high-stress situations. In general, providing soldiers with physical training is not enough to teach them how to deal with stress. The research founded by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, and conducted by Dr. Jha and her colleagues, shows that mindfulness meditation exercises help train and protect a serviceman's mind against high-stress combat situations and improve overall cognitive resilience and performance (Jha et al., 2015). Similar research on active-duty Marines showed improvements in mood, memory, and attention (Jha et al., 2017). In the end, the Army and the Marines recognize the need to protect a soldier's mind in the same way physical training prepares and protects their body. As a result, like physical exercise, daily mindfulness training can result in powerful benefits. (Myers, 2015). Given the effectives among high-performing military personness, mindfulness practices are starting to make their way into policing.

Local police departments (PD) have recognized the research behind mindfulness and have implemented mindfulness-based programs as a part of officer training (Kim, 2017). More specifically, Tempe PD in Arizona, Hillsboro PD in Oregon, Bend PD in Oregon, El Cerrito PD in California, Dallas PD in Texas, and Madison PD in Wisconsin all see the need for a holistic and proactive approach to officer well-being (Kim, 2017; Kozlowska, 2017; Spoon, 2016; Suttie, 2016). More specifically, mindfulness practices have the potential of reducing depression, PTSD, alcohol abuse, and promoting awareness and compassion for the high-stress job of the officer (Kim, 2017).

For example, Madison PD, with cooperation of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and funding from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), is measuring the effectiveness of implementing one guided session per week for two hours, focusing on a variety of practices including meditation, mindful movement (walking, yoga), and group discussions about practices and teachings. Officers also are given additional exercises for outside of the sessions. Although the research is ongoing, the initial results were marked as promising (Spoon, 2017).

Another example is Bend PD in Oregon, which believes in prioritizing officer wellness. Given that officers are exposed to a multitude of negative events on a daily basis, the agency has implemented a wellness screening test and mindfulness training. Mindfulness training is one of several wellness incentives at the Bend PD, ranging from 10-minute mindfulness sessions to yoga classes, peer mentoring, and a psychologist on staff. Every program is data-driven and addresses an area the officers finds most problematic, including sleeplessness, lack of energy, focus, and likelihood of certain injuries. Specifically, mindfulness training helps officers prepare for potentially violent situations by maintaining a clear-mind. The department is actively engaged in promoting the benefits of mindfulness and providing training to other in and out of state PDs (Peacher, 2018).

The need to address officer well-being and reduce stress associated with the high demands of the job can be expressed by adopting a holistic approach to mental and physical health. More specifically, mindfulness-based practices could help officers effectively deal with stress, anxiety, and excessive reactivity associated with their job.

Recommendations

Current legislation and reports emphasize peer mentoring and annual mental health checkups, but do not propose national and evidence-based program development (IACP, 2018; US Congress, 2018). Given the effectiveness of holistic practices, this document proposes the implementation of mindfulness practices to help officers with stress and trauma management.

The U.S. Department of Justice should do the following:

Support continuing research into the effectiveness of an annual health check for officers, encompassing mental health, fitness, resilience, and nutrition (IACP, 2018).

Fund additional research into holistic approaches for occupational stress reduction (IACP, 2018).

Law enforcement agencies should do the following:

Raise awareness about suicide and mental health risks among law enforcement officers and create a culture of support and understanding (IACP, 2014).

Promote proactive attitudes towards health, safety, and wellness, including stress management at every level of the organization (IACP, 2014; Kim, 2017; Kozlowska, 2017; Spoon, 2016; Suttie, 2016).

Promote educational initiatives targeted at police managers on how best to recognize and manage situations in which occupational stress is a factor (Bonnar, 2000). This would also include mindfulness training (Mindful Badge Initiative, 2019).

Implement a screening tool to identify risk factors, with sensitivity to overt and subtle cues of officer distress (IACP, 2018; Peacher, 2018).

Adopt a standardized and evidence-based mindfulness technique that can be later tested for effectiveness (Jha et al., 2017; Violanti et al., 2017; Zanesco et al., 2018).

Incorporate a mindfulness component into recruit training. This would help future officers overcome the culture of toughness and recognize the benefits associated with mindfulness (IACP, 2014; Air Force News, 2017).

Implement a daily mindfulness practice to facilitate long-term benefits of mindfulness training (Jha et al., 2017; Myers, 2015; Violanti et al., 2017).

Seek a research partner to evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness training (Jha et al., 2017; Spoon, 2017).

Offer counseling and referral services for specialized needs (US Congress, 2018; Peacher, 2018).

Mindfulness Program Design

Police departments can implement an on-sight evidence-based Mindfulness-based Mind Fitness Training (MMFT) with elements of application to the operational environment (e.g., decision making under pressure, such as during counterinsurgency operations, and maintaining self-awareness and emotion regulation during difficult encounters with local populations). The training would be a combination of class time, meetings, day-long silence workshops, yoga, and daily 10-minute guided meditations. The exercises are focused on building emotional resilience, cultivating attentional control, and increasing tolerance of challenging experiences. Predicted outcomes include reduction in stress, trauma, and depressive thoughts, but also increased awareness and improved decision-making skills.

One example of a model evidence-based approach to mindfulness is The Mindfulness Badge Training based in Hillsboro, OR that incorporates various training strategies, including workshops, leadership training, executive coaching, assessment and planning for organizations, immersion training, and workshops. The initiative appears cost-effective and is based on sustainable and local training models (The Mindfulness Badge Training, 2019).
Benefits:

Multitude of benefits ranging from stress reduction to improved decision-making that is evidence-based (Christopher et al., 2014; Bergman, Christopher, & Bowen, 2016; Jha et al., 2017; Zanesco et al., 2018).

Decreased number of officer suicides (IACP, 2014).

Organizational shift that promotes holistic well-being and mental health. Establishing a working culture of openness, inclusion, and wellness (IACP, 2014).

Prevention of resource depletions associated with crisis management. It might be more cost effective to treat an officer with mental health issues than to train a new one (IACP, 2014). Additionally, agencies can apply for NIJ funding and implement mindfulness practices based on already existing programs and research (Spoon, 2017; The Mindfulness Badge Training, 2019).

Challenges:

Only long-term or daily mindfulness practices are likely to yield long-term benefits (Zanesco et al., 2018).

Resistance associated with organization culture of toughness and stigma of mental illness (IACP, 2014; Yeoman, 2017).

Conclusion:

Preventing officer suicide requires a proactive and holistic approach to mental and physical heath (Air Force New, 2017; IACP, 2014; Kabat-Zinn, 2013). Existing suicide prevention programs are mostly focused on physical fitness or reactive responses to stress, including peer mentoring and suicide hotlines (IACP, 2018; Kuhns et al., 2015; US Congress, 2018). Recent research points to mindfulness practices and their effectiveness in stress management. Results have showed that mindfulness can reduce organizational stress, but also improve problem solving skills and emotional resilience among high-functioning groups, including elite military forces and police officers (Jha et al., 2017; Violanti et al., 2017; Zanesco et al., 2018). As a result, several police departments have been implementing mindfulness-based practices as a proactive and cost-effective way to improve officer mental resilience (Kim, 2017; Kozlowska, 2017; Spoon, 2016; Suttie, 2016).

Consequently, this document outlined several recommendations for the DOJ and law enforcement agencies, including raising awareness about suicide and mental health, promoting a culture of acceptance and understanding, and the implementation of standardized and evidence-based mindfulness techniques (see the Mindfulness Program Design as an example of evidence-based program design). Lastly, both benefits and challenges of introducing mindfulness practices were listed.

Annotated B ibliography

Bergman, Aaron L., Christopher, Michael S., Bowen, Sarah. (2016). Changes in Facets of Mindfulness Predict Stress and Anger Outcomes for Police Officers. Mindfulness, 7(4), 851-858.

This study investigates the impact of mindfulness on stress and anger among police officers. A sample of 62 police officers from a medium-sized city on Pacific-Northeastern US, underwent a Mindfulness-Based Resilience Training (MBRT) program. Results demonstrated that mindfulness significantly reduced organizational stress, operational stress, and anger.

Bonnar, A. (2000). Stress at work: The beliefs and experiences of police superintendents. International Journal Stress Management, 2, 285-302.

The study identifies stress-induced mental illness as a growing occupational hazard for police officers. What is more, previous research points to the lack of stress and mental illness prevention assistance. This qualitative study found that acceptance or tolerance of management practices likely to cause stress.

Booth (2017). Master of mindfulness, Jon Kabat-Zinn: 'People are losing their minds. That is what we need to wake up to'. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/oct/22/mindfulness-jon-kabat-zinn-depression-trump-grenfell

An interview with Dr. Kabat-Zinn, the leader in mindfulness practices, and the creator of the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Dr. Kabat-Zinn discusses health benefits of mindfulness practices.

Chopko, B.A., Palmieri, P.A., & Facemire, V.C. (2014). Prevalence and predictors of suicidal ideation among U.S. law enforcement officers. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 29(1), 1-9.

The study identifies a multitude of traumatic events that increase the risk of suicide among police officers. These critical incidents could include mistake that injures / kills colleague, mistake that injures/kills bystander, colleague killed intentionally, colleague killed accidentally, being taken hostage (see Appendix A for a complete list).

Christopher, Michael S., Goerling, Richard J., Rogers, Brant S., Hunsinger, Matthew, Baron, Greg, Bergman, Aaron L., Zava, David T. (2016). A Pilot Study Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention on Cortisol Awakening Response and Health Outcomes among Law Enforcement Officers. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 31(1), 15-28.

This pilot study examined the effectiveness of a mindfulness-based intervention on police officer stress. The study used a sample of 43 police officers who completed an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Resilience Training (MBRT) program. The findings indicate a significant improvement in self-reported mindfulness, resilience, police and perceived stress, burnout, emotional intelligence, difficulties with emotion regulation, mental health, physical health, anger, fatigue, and sleep disturbance.

DataUsa. (2019). Police officers. Retrieved from https://datausa.io/profile/soc/333050/

The website provides the most recent statistics on police officers in the US.

Goh J, Pfeffer J, and Zenios, SA. (2015). Workplace stressors and health outcomes: health policy for the workplace. Behavioral Science & Policy, 1(1), 43-52.

The study found that health effects of psychosocial workplace stressors, including job insecurity increases the odds of reporting poor health by about 50%, high job demands raise the odds of having a physician-diagnosed illness by 35%, and long work hours increase mortality by almost 20%.

Hartley TA, Knox SS, Fekedulegn D, Barbosa-Leiker C, Violanti JM, Andrew ME, Burchfiel, CM. (2012). Association between depressive symptoms and metabolic syndrome in police officers: Results from two cross sectional studies. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 2012(861219), 1-9.

The study explores the association between depressive symptoms and metabolic syndromes in male and female officers from Buffalo, NY and Spokane, WA. Consistent with previous studies, the results show that about 13% of male and female officers suffer from depression.

Heyman, Dill, & Douglas. (2018). The Ruderman White Paper on Mental Health and Suicide First Responders. The Ruderman Family Foundation. Retrieved from https://rudermanfoundation.org/white_papers/police-officers-and-firefighters-are-more-likely-to-die-by-suicide-than-in-line-of-duty/

First responders (policemen and firefighters) are more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty. In 2017, there were at least 103 firefighter suicides and 140 police officer suicides. In contrast, 93 firefighters and 129 police officers died in the line of duty. Suicide is a result of mental illness, including depression and PTSD, which stems from constant exposure to death and destruction.

IACP (International Association of Chiefs of Police).(2014). IACP National Symposium on Law Enforcement Officer Suicide and Mental Health: Breaking the Silence on Law Enforcement Suicides. Washington, DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.

The report urges agencies to recognize officer health as an issue directly related to officer safety. More specifically, special attention should be given to law enforcement officer deaths by suicide, which were twice as high as compared to traffic accidents and felonious assaults during 2012. The document presents recommendations for creation of more health-oriented police departments.

IACP. (2018). Practices in Modern Policing: Officer Safety and Wellness. International Association of Chiefs of Police: Alexandria, VA. Retrieved from https://www.theiacp.org/sites/default/files/2018-11/IACP_PMP_SafetyandWellness.pdf

The IACP provides officer wellness and safety recommendations. In addition, various health and wellness programs implemented by police departments through the nation are discussed.

Jha, Amishi P., Morrison, Alexandra B., Parker, Suzanne C., & Stanley, Elizabeth A. (2017). Practice Is Protective: Mindfulness Training Promotes Cognitive Resilience in High-Stress Cohorts. Mindfulness, 8(1), 46-58.

The study investigated the benefits of mindfulness practices on a sample of US Marines during highly stressful period of pre-deployment. The results suggest that mindfulness training prevents attention depletion, which could result in the diminished performance and resilience to deal with stress.

Jha, AP, Morrison, AB, Dainer-Best, J, Parker, S, Rostrup, N, Stanley, EA. (2015) Minds "At Attention": Mindfulness Training Curbs Attentional Lapses in Military Cohorts. PLoS ONE, 10(2), e0116889. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0116889.

This study founded by the US Army, investigates the benefits of mindfulness on a sample of elite military personnel. The findings suggest positive impact of mindfulness on resilience against high-stress combat situations and improved cognitive resilience and performance.

Mindful Badge Training. (2019). Training. Mindful Badge Indicative: Hillsboro, OR. Retrieved from https://www.mindfulbadge.com/training/.

The Mindfulness Badge Training based in Hillsboro, OR is an evidence-based approach to mindfulness training that incorporates various training strategies, including workshops, leadership training, executive coaching, assessment and planning for organizations, immersion training, and workshops. The initiative is cost-effective and based on sustainable and local training models.

Kabat-Zinn, Jon. (2013). Mindfulness Meditations in Everyday Life and Exercises and Meditations. BetterListen! LLC.

Dr. Kabat-Zinn's mindfulness training includes guided instruction in mindful walking, sitting meditation, mindful hatha yoga, and also Kabat-Zinn's responses to questions from workshop participants, which may help deepen both one's understanding and commitment to the cultivation of mindfulness.

Kuhns, Joseph B., Maguire, Edward R., Leach, Nancy R. (2015). Health, Safety, and Wellness Program Case Studies in Law Enforcement. Washington, DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. Retrieved from https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/lbrr/archives/cnmcs-plcng/cn36413-eng.pdf

The report discusses case studies of various safety and wellness-oriented programs through the US law enforcement agencies with a goal of program and policy improvement.

Kuyken W., Watkins E., Holden E., White K., Taylor RS., Byford S., Evans A., Radford S., Teasdale JD., Dalgleish T. (2010). How does mindfulness-based cognitive therapy work? Behavioral Research and Therapy, 48(11), 1105-1112.

Kuyjen and colleagues (2010;2015) explore the impact of mindfulness on depression. The study found a significant positive impact of mindfulness and self-compassion on symptoms and relapse of depression.

Kuyken W., Hayes R., Barrett B., Byng R., Dalgleish T., Kessler D., Lewis G., Watkins E., Brejcha C., Cardy J., Causley A., Cowderoy S., Evans A., Gradinger F., Kaur S., Lanham P., Morant N., Richards J., Shah P., Sutton H., Vicary R., Weaver A., Wilks J., Williams M., Taylor RS., Byford S. (2015). Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy compared with maintenance antidepressant treatment in the prevention of depressive relapse or recurrence (PREVENT): a randomised controlled trial. Lancet, 386(9988), 63-73.

Kuyjen and colleagues (2015) explore the impact of mindfulness on depression. The study found significant positive impact of mindfulness on depression relapse.

Patterson, George T. (2002). Reconceptualizing traumatic incidents experienced by law enforcement personnel. Australasian Journal of Disaster Trauma Studies, 2001(2).

This literature review focuses on law enforcement stress and attempts to classify stressful work events. The study concludes that traumatic incidents are usually ranked as highly stressful and can be reconceptualized as a separate category of stressful work events and situations experienced by law enforcement personnel. The author recommends keeping track of stressful events through the officer career and tailoring treatment.

Pe, M. L., Raes, F., & Kuppens, P. (2013). The cognitive building blocks of emotion regulation: ability to update working memory moderates the efficacy of rumination and reappraisal on emotion. PLoS One, 8(7), e69071.

Maintaining emotional health depends on one's ability to regulate emotions. The results indicate the ability to update emotional information in the working memory can moderate the effect of high arousal negative emotions and help regulate one's emotions.

Peacher, Amanda. (2018). Bend Police Incorporate Yoga, Mindfulness Into Officer Wellness Program. Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved from https://www.opb.org/news/article/bend-police-yoga-wellness-mindfulness/

The article discusses Bend's Police efforts to improve officer wellness through wellness screening, yoga, mindfulness, peer mentoring and more. The program is designed to have a holistic approach to wellness and address any health risks and needs of officers, including sleep deprivation, shoulder injuries or excessive use of force.

Royal New Zaeland Air Force. (2018). Air Force News: Making Mindfulness a way of life. Defence Public Affairs: Wellington, New Zealand. Retrieved from http://airforce.mil.nz/downloads/pdf/airforce-news/afn207.pdf

New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has been the pioneer in taking a holistic approach to heath and wellness of their officers. Most recently, they have been implementing evidence-based mindfulness practices to help their officer deal with emotions and make better logic-driven decisions.

Schmeichel, B. J., & Demaree, H. A. (2010). Working memory capacity and spontaneous emotion regulation: high capacity predicts selfenhancement in response to negative feedback. Emotion, 10(5), 739-744.

The study investigates the impact of high working memory capacity (WMC) on the ability yo regulate one's emotions after a negative feedback. The results suggest that with a greater WMC might do better at spontaneous self-regulation of emotions.

Spoon, Marianne. (2017). Mindful Policing Research Expands with New Grant from National Institute of Justice. Center for Healthy Minds: University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI. Retrieved from https://centerhealthyminds.org/news/mindful-policing-research-expands-with-new-grant-from-national-institute-of-justice

The author discusses the mindfulness training initiative implemented by the Madison PD and University of Wisconsin and founded by the NIJ grant. The polit study hopes to investigate the impact of mindfulness practices on burnout, depression, and anxiety symptoms.

Stetka, Bret. (2017). Where's the Proof That Mindfulness Meditation Works? Scientific America. Retrieved from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/wheres-the-proof-that-mindfulness-meditation-works1/

The author outlines some of the main limitation of mindfulness studies, including sample size, randomization and rigor in defining mindfulness. Based on interviews with mindfulness researchers, the author provides recommendations for mindfulness research improvement.

Tannen, Janette Neuwahl. (2018). The 'best prospect' for ensuring success in demanding roles. University of Miami New: University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL. Retrieved from https://news.miami.edu/stories/2018/11/ensuring-success-in-demanding-roles.html

The article explores recent research on mindfulness conducted by University of Miami Associate Professor of Psychology. Dr. Jha's research on elite military service members found that mindfulness training can increase cognitive performance among high-performance groups during highly stressful periods of pre-deployment.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2019). Leading Causes of Suicide. Retrieved from https://webappa.cdc.gov/cgi-bin/broker.exe

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) outlines 10 leading causes of death by age group between 1999 and 2015.

Trombka, Marcelo, Demarzo, Marcelo, Campos Bacas, Daniel, Beira Antonio, Sonia, Cicuto, Karen, Salvo, Vera, Cesar Almeida Claudino Felipe, Ribeiro, Letícia, Christopher, Michael, Garcia-Campayo, Javier, and Sica Rocha, Neusa. (2018). Study protocol of a multicenter randomized controlled trial of mindfulness training to reduce burnout and promote quality of life in police officers: the POLICE study. BMC Psychiatry, 18, 151.

This ongoing study investigates the impact of mindfulness training versus a waitlist control in improving quality of life and reducing negative mental health symptoms in police officers. The results are to follow.

US Congress. (2017). Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act of 2017. Retrieved from https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/2228?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22H.R.+2228%22%5D%7D&r=18

The most recent legislation designed to address the health and wellness crisis among law enforcement agencies, including 22 recommendations to make substantial efforts to reduce suicide and integrate mental health professionals into law enforcement agencies. Some of the stogies include annual mental health checks for law enforcement officers, expansion of peer mentoring programs, and ensuring privacy considerations for these types of programs.

Violanti, J.M., Fekedulegn, D., Hartley, T.A., Andrew, M.E., Gu, J.K., and Burchfiel, C.M. (2013). Life expectancy in police officers: a comparison with the US general population. International Journal of Emergency Mental Health and Human Resilience, 15(4), 217-228.

Police officers have a much lower for police officers as compared to the general population because of the exposure to a multitude of psychological risks associated with organizational stressors, including high job demands, decision-making latitude, organizational culture and interpersonal relations.

Zanesco, Anthony P., Denkova, Ekaterina, Rogers, Schott L., MacNulty, William K., Jha, Amishi P. (2018). Mindfulness training as cognitive training in high-demand cohorts: An initial study in elite military servicemembers. Progress in Brain Research, 244(2019), 323-354.

The study investigates the impact of mindfulness training (MT) on cognitive performance in elite military forces. Based on 4-week MT practice, participants reported improved attention and working memory outcomes. Researchers suggest MT as an effective cognitive training tool for elite military personnel.
Appendix A
Adopted from Vargas. (2019). More police officers committed suicide last year than were killed in line of duty. Behind the Badge. Retrieved April 20, 2019 from https://behindthebadge.com/more-police-officers-committed-suicide-last-year-than-were-killed-in-line-of-duty/
Appendix B

Table 1: Critical Incidents in the Law Enforcement Profession (Chopko et al., 2015)

Critical Incidents

Mistake that injures / kills colleague

Mistake that injures / kills bystander

Colleague killed intentionally

Colleague killed accidentally

Being taken hostage

Being seriously beaten

Being shot at

Colleague injured intentionally

Kill or injure in the line of duty

Badly beaten child

Sexually assaulted child

Trapped in life-threatening situation

Severely neglected child

Threatened with a gun

Your loved ones threatened

Seriously injured intentionally

Life-threatening man-made disaster

Exposed to AIDS or other diseases

Colleague injured accidentally

Shoot at suspect without injury

Threatened with knife / other weapon

Mutilated body or human remains

Life-threatening natural disaster

Life threatened by toxic substance

See someone dying

Making a death notification

Being seriously injured accidentally

Life-threatening high speed chase

Sexually assaulted adult

Animal neglected, tortured, killed

Decaying corpse

Life threatened by dangerous animal

Body of someone recently dead

Badly beaten adult

Adopted from Chopko, B.A., Palmieri, P.A., & Facemire, V.C. (2014). Prevalence and predictors of suicidal ideation among U.S. law enforcement officers. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 29(1), 1-9.

Photo by Dan Meyers on Unsplash

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Culture of Health Tool Summary and Reflection

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Suicides To Date by Year

Since January 1, 2016, Blue H.E.L.P. (BH) has been compiling a list of law enforcement officers lost to suicide; this information includes corrections and federal officers of all duty status. In addition to officers that have died since 2016, BH has information on officers dating back to 1979 and now has over 1,000 records of those deaths.

The numbers do not necessarily indicate an increase in suicides. They do, however, indicate an increase in reporting to Blue H.E.L.P. For clarification, contact@bluehelp.org

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Since January 1, 2016, Blue H.E.L.P. (BH) has been compiling a list of law enforcement officers lost to suicide; this information includes corrections and federal officers of all duty status. In addition to officers that have died since 2016, BH has information on officers dating back to 1979 and now has over 1,000 records of those deaths.

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Fit for Public Safety: Informing Attitudes and Practices Tied to the Hiring of Public Safety Personnel 

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Please take a few minutes to take the Police Officer Wellness Evaluation Response© (P.O.W.E.R.) Survey. It takes about 5 minutes, is completely confidential, and is for LEO's ONLY. They need your help to spread the word as they are looking for 1,000 responses.

CLICK HERE to link to the survey

The Police Officer Wellness Evaluation Response© (P.O.W.E.R.) Survey is designed to collect data and measure "holistic wellness" of law enforcement personnel nationwide. This multi-dimensional approach will address: physical wellness, emotional wellness, psychological wellness, and spiritual wellness. Each area of wellness, though independent, work interdependently, to provide a better... understanding of the multi-dimensional individual. This confidential survey instrument will be used to collect and report broad data concerning holistic wellness of officers. No names, departments, or other personally identifying information will be used or distributed. Survey participation is completely voluntary. It is the hope of the survey developer, Dr. Olivia Johnson that issues of holistic wellness become and remain a focal point of all law enforcement agencies, police personnel, and police families.

All study participants will have access to the final survey results upon completion of the survey. Results will be made available at www.bluewallofsilence.net and www.psf.org.

Please contact Dr. Olivia Johnson with any questions or concerns CLICK HERE TO EMAIL DR. JOHNSON or by phone (618) 791-9146. A special thanks to Elizabeth Willman, MS, CSAC, CSIT, and Pastor Ron Woods for their individual contributions to the survey and to the officers who participated in the pilot study in order to validate the survey instrument.

On behalf of the National Police Suicide Foundation and Blue Wall of Silence, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for taking the time to complete this survey; without your participation this would not be possible. Lastly, it is our hope that the data collected will benefit the law enforcement community in a positive and meaningful way.

Sincerely,
Dr. Olivia Johnson,
Illinois State Representative
National Police Suicide Foundation
www.bluewallofsilence.net

About Dr. Olivia Johnson: During her research on police safety issues, Dr. Olivia Johnson discovered the leading cause of officer death was not accidents or homicide, but suicide. This compelled her to refocus in the area of officer suicide. Due to her research was named the Illinois State Representative for the National P.O.L.I.C.E. Suicide Foundation. In March 2010, she earned her doctorate degree in Organizational Leadership Management from the University of Phoenix - School of Advanced Studies. In June 2010, she was invited to speak at the Beyond Survival Toward Officer Wellness (BeSTOW) Symposium sponsored by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Behavioral Science Unit. Dr. Johnson is a former police officer and currently collaborates with The Journal of Law Enforcement and The Journal of Global Health Care Systems as an author/editor, and is a member of the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association (ILEETA).

CLICK HERE to link to the survey

Very Quick easy to answer questions that should only take you a couple of minutes. Thanks for your help!

CopsAlive is written to prompt discussions within our profession about the issues of law enforcement career survival. We invite you to share your opinions, ask questions and suggest topics for us in the Comment Box that is at the bottom of this article.

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Our "Armor Your Self™: How to Survive a Career in Law Enforcement" on-site training program is an eight hour, hands-on, "How to" seminar that helps police officers and other law enforcement professionals armor themselves physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually to survive their careers in police work. To learn more CLICK HERE

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holistic wellness for for police officers

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holistic wellness survey for law enforcement

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holistic wellness survey for police officers

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The Police Officer Wellness Evaluation Response© (P.O.W.E.R.) Survey

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Please take a few minutes to take the Police Officer Wellness Evaluation Response© (P.O.W.E.R.) Survey. It takes about 5 minutes, is completely confidential, and is for LEO's ONLY. They need your help to spread the word as they are looking for 1,000 responses. CLICK HERE to link to the survey The Police Officer Wellness Evaluation Response© (P.O.W.E.R.)

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This survey is for law enforcement personnel only.