The issue of health and safety of police officers gets attention.
These are the men and women whom communities depend upon in emergencies. They face physical risks, from something as accidental as a car crash to something as intentional as a gunshot.
But the risks aren’t only physical. Police officers are often the first to arrive when something has gone very wrong.
They see the aftermath. They manage the moment.
And they move on to the next call.
On top of the trauma they witness, police can face more intense versions of the same workplace stress anyone might experience. Overtime, staffing, management, budget and more can take their toll.
Law enforcement has higher than normal incidents of conditions like depression, anxiety and panic disorders. They deal with post-traumatic stress. More officers die by suicide than anything that occurs on duty.
“It’s not properly addressed in police departments across the country,” Pittsburgh police Chief Jason Lando told TribLive in a recent interview.
Lando is making it a priority, planning to hire full-time mental health support for his department. He did the same as chief in Frederick, Md.
It’s a good, proactive move. It’s also one that should be the standard for law enforcement agencies, big and small.
Mental health care is a protection for officers — and other department professionals — as much as a Kevlar vest or a riot shield.
But that isn’t its only benefit.
Teaching officers to understand and value their mental health doesn’t just support them. It also might help shape how they respond when someone else is in crisis.
That matters because interactions between police and people in vulnerable moments can carry additional risk.
This is not exclusive to police. It is a challenge for other first responders as well.
It is also not as easy to address as simply saying it will happen. It requires more than will. It demands money — something Pittsburgh, like other municipalities, cannot pull out of thin air.
But recognizing the importance and prioritizing the need is where it starts.
