Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act LEMHWA

  • Slides: 12
Download presentation
Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act (LEMHWA): Reports to Congress 1

Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act (LEMHWA): Reports to Congress 1

About LEMHWA signed into law by President on January 17 th, 2018, and asked

About LEMHWA signed into law by President on January 17 th, 2018, and asked the DOJ to prepare a series of public reports to Congress Recommendations for improving mental health and wellness for state, local, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies Case studies of wellness efforts in law enforcement Requirement was to submit within one year of enactment 2

Report Methodologies Recommendations Report: ▪ Statute required “consultation” with federal, local, and state law

Report Methodologies Recommendations Report: ▪ Statute required “consultation” with federal, local, and state law enforcement, as well as with the Do. D and VA ▪ COPS Office Staff undertook a series of consultation interviews; reviewed materials from Do. D and VA; conducted an extensive literature review Case Studies Report: ▪ Statute required it be modeled on an earlier COPS Office publication ▪ Consultant team identified programs using a national survey tool, then conducted site visits to each of the eleven selected 3 programs

Recommendations Report Highlights from 21 Recommendations Support the development of resources for community-based clinicians

Recommendations Report Highlights from 21 Recommendations Support the development of resources for community-based clinicians who interact with law enforcement and their families Support programs for law enforcement family readiness Support the development of model policies and implementation guidance for agencies to make substantial efforts to reduce suicide; support a LE Suicide Report surveillance system Support research to determine the efficacy of mental health checks 4

Recommendations Report Highlights from 21 Recommendations Support the identification and delivery of resiliency training

Recommendations Report Highlights from 21 Recommendations Support the identification and delivery of resiliency training programs for both academy and in-service Support the expansion of peer programs to include broader health and wellness not just critical incident stress Support training programs for peer mentors Improve legislative privacy protections for peer support programs The development of programs that promote whole health and officer resilience should be the goal of the profession 5

Case Studies Report Case Study Sites Bend Oregon Cop 2 Cop – NJ Indianapolis

Case Studies Report Case Study Sites Bend Oregon Cop 2 Cop – NJ Indianapolis Los Angeles SD Nashville Tucson Charlotte-Mecklenburg Dallas Las Vegas Milwaukee San Antonio 6

Case Studies Report Observations from Site Visits Strong leadership from the top and support

Case Studies Report Observations from Site Visits Strong leadership from the top and support by the union or police officer association makes a difference Departments with some of the most robust programming started their programs in the 1980’s and 1990’s Common program elements: Peer Support, Chaplains, EAP, Spouse & Family Services, Financial Counseling Mixed approach to counseling: some by in-house psychologists, others refer to outside psychologists 7

Case Studies Report Observations from Site Visits External partnerships add value: outside service providers

Case Studies Report Observations from Site Visits External partnerships add value: outside service providers and academic institutions Program assessment, evaluation limited Some agencies have recruit mentoring and annual mental health wellness screening In agencies that rely solely on EAP and insurance benefits programs the limitations on covered sessions and services are problematic. TRUST is the cornerstone of successful programs. 8

Overall Impressions Good mental health is essential to be effective in keeping our communities

Overall Impressions Good mental health is essential to be effective in keeping our communities safe from crime and violence There is a lot of good work being done out there by agencies and organizations, but it is often disjointed, complicated by insurance coverage and privacy concerns, and not always understanding of the professional culture of law enforcement Successful programs frequently include line item budgeting for mental health programming, allow officers to attend sessions on duty or in a paid status, and provide officers on-duty time for exercise 9

Overall Impressions Crisis lines and peer support programs need support to expand; training and

Overall Impressions Crisis lines and peer support programs need support to expand; training and support for peers important component; Privacy protection is critical, especially for peer-run programs Do. D/VA may not have the answers but they are trying a wide variety of approaches to improve access, reduce stigma, build resiliency, support families, and better understand the threats to wellness There is no one-size fits all solution or magical one-time treatment. Resiliency begins in the academy and support should continue throughout a career and into retirement 10

Finding the Reports Both reports available on the COPS Office website: http: \cops. usdoj.

Finding the Reports Both reports available on the COPS Office website: http: \cops. usdoj. gov lemhwaresources 11

QUESTIONS? 12

QUESTIONS? 12