PERF hosted a five-webinar series focused on officer safety and wellness issues. The series stems from a study of officer safety and wellness that PERF conducted in partnership with NORC at the University of Chicago, with funding from the National Institute of Justice. That project involved agency-level surveys on their programming for staff and officer-level surveys on mental and physical well-being. The webinars include a short presentation on research findings relevant to the webinar topic and then feature a panel of practitioners talking about their experiences with bringing health and wellness programming to their agencies.

Webinar 1: Fostering Holistic Health and Wellness in Law Enforcement - January 23, 2024

• NORC Research Summary (03:42)
• Vera Daniel, Fairfax County, Virginia Police Department (10:19)
• Justin Toussing, Indianapolis Metro Police Department (16:00)
• Elise Spina Taylor, Miami Beach Police Department (32:37)
• Jerry Hallert, Reno, Nevada Police Department (1:01:11)

Webinar 2: Police Perceptions of their Work and its Impact on their Health - February 7, 2024

Law enforcement officers are asked to possess many skills and display positive character traits in the face of constant hardships. Many agencies have implemented wellness programming designed to provide officers support in developing necessary skills used in the profession and an environment to address hardships faced in the field.

This webinar features agencies that have been exemplary at implementing officer safety and wellness programming that emphasizes building resilience among law enforcement officers, building relationships with members of the community, and promoting positive aspects of police work through wellness.

• NORC Research Summary (03:22)
• Jeff Albanese, U.S. Capitol Police (12:02)
• Henry Liu, Seattle Police Department (26:14)
• Brandi Burque, San Antonio Police Department (39:42)
• Bryan Edelen, Louisville Metro Police Department (1:03:45)
• Q&A (1:19:25)

Webinar 3: Promoting Health and Wellness for Women in Policing - February 27, 2024

This webinar showcases agencies that have effectively tailored wellness programs to meet the specific needs of female officers and pushing to increase the representation of women in policing.

• NORC Research Summary (2:30)
• Kimberlee Jones, Lubbock, Texas Police Department (7:35)
• Keia Boyd, Minneapolis Police Department (20:38)
• Kym Craven, National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives (30:40)
  
• Jackie Agnew, Police Scotland (42:32)
• Q&A (53:50)

Webinar 4: Supporting Officers After a Critical Incident: Model Programs - March 14, 2024

Critical incidents such as witnessing death, abuse, and gruesome crime scenes are the pinnacle of trauma that officers endure in their work. The cumulative effects of these incidents can adversely affect all facets of an officer’s life. Physical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral impacts can undermine an officer’s wellness and ability to fulfill their duties. While critical incidents are inherent in policing, agencies have implemented wellness programming to help officers prepare for and recover from these incidents.

This webinar focuses on wellness programs offered to law enforcement officers before and after critical incidents to mitigate the impacts of acute stress and trauma.

• NORC Research Summary (2:12)
• Matthew Ford and Shaun Heath, Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (8:34)
• Ben Haiman, Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Department (25:30)
• Reuben Ramirez, Dallas Police Department (45:22)
• Q&A (59:07)

Webinar 5: Managing Officers’ Everyday Health Issues - March 21, 2024

This webinar features agencies that have been successful at implementing wellness programming to address the everyday wellness concerns of officers:

• NORC Research Summary (1:42)
• Joshua Downing, Colorado State Patrol (12:15)
• Maggie DeBoard, Herndon, Virginia Police Department (32:18)
• April Morse, Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake (49:15)
• Vernon Herron, Baltimore Police Department (57:14)
• Q&A (1:14:44)