Dallas Police Wellness Unit cares for officers’ body, mind and spirit – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

Several Dallas Police Department officers are working to normalize mental health and wellness among law enforcement. It’s a concentrated effort to change the culture and help officers who bear the burden of their jobs.

The wellness department was created nearly three years ago when Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia saw a series of complaints to officers about alcohol-related problems, arrests for driving under the influence and domestic violence.

After the study was completed along with focus groups, Garcia gave the green light to start the wellness unit.

“Just the daily, accumulating trauma, grief and violence that we face wears on you after a while, and I think our unit has been the tip of the spear in addressing this issue with our officers,” said Officer Joe King, who helped found the unit.

“When you have an officer who is mentally, physically and emotionally healthy, that is a product for the citizens we serve,” King said.

The unit has several officers dedicated to helping their fellow brothers and sisters in blue.

Often people can come on their own initiative, but King said they proactively reach out to officers.

“Whenever there is a death in the city that unfortunately is a suicide, homicide, fatal accident or crime involving children, we receive the email with the incident, research it and find out which officials “What shift and we proactively approach them,” King explained.

“The first reaction is, ‘I’m fine,’ but then, days and weeks later, they start to notice something within themselves and say, ‘You know what? “I’m kind of struggling,” King explained.

The unit has several resources in its toolbox to help someone in need. They often have an open ear themselves.

“While it can be scary, it can also be rewarding if you can help people deal with the things that are bothering them and point them toward the help they need,” said DPD Corporal David Massey.

He is one of the officers in the unit, something he cares about.

“I’m excited about it because I’ve overcome trauma, things that have affected me as a police officer. So I want to help other officers get there in the same way,” Massey said.

They have resources for counselors, rehabilitation, virtual reality use, and even dog therapy.

The department also focuses on alcohol issues and has an alcohol leave policy that was introduced two years ago.

“If an officer or employee comes forward before an alcohol-related incident occurs and says they need help, we send them to an alcohol and substance rehabilitation facility, and we’ve had a lot of success with that,” King said. “Part of the policy when this was written is that there are no criminal consequences for it, you go and get the help you need and come back with a better mind, body and soul, go back to it Street and continues his career.” “

Massey said their unit is unique, but it is becoming more mainstream and needed.

“I would love it to be something where officers go to counseling as normal, and that’s what we’re trying to normalize, that it’s OK to ask for help. It’s OK to get help and we’re sowing the seeds of it.” “I haven’t fully sown it yet, but we’re sowing it and the reward will come in time,” Massey said.

King said more than 80 different departments from across the country have contacted DPD’s Wellness Department to learn more about how it works.

“We are exposed to other people’s grief, other people’s violence and their trauma and we absorb it like a sponge. After a while, that sponge gets heavy and we need to have a place to let it go,” King said. The stigma that comes with discussing mental health, specifically in this profession, is unheard of. Now we go out and proactively train the newbies as soon as they walk in the door.”

“I believe education and awareness are key to changing culture, and you have to have the right messengers to deliver that message, and I think this department has done that,” King said.

The unit also helps the department during internal difficult times, most recently with the murder of Officer Darron Burks, who was ambushed and killed. Two other officers were seriously injured.

“It was tough and still tough,” King said.

He said the unit did not exist during the ambush on July 7, 2016, when five officers were murdered downtown. The wellness unit doesn’t make such situations any easier, but it does help manage and manage the raw emotions that come with such tragedies.

“We can’t just go home, take off this uniform and take a vacation. We take off this uniform and deal with all the stresses of children, spouses and family that everyone has to deal with. Most of the time they’re asking us to deal with these problems, but we’re also dealing with the same problems “Just people like everyone else,” Massey said. “If people could just step back sometimes and not see a uniform and a person, I think it would make a big difference.”

The team wants to expand their work into physical fitness as they believe it is also vital to mental fitness.