Police funding we should all support

While so-called social-justice activists have mounted crusades to defund or deactivate police departments across the country, we’re encouraged to see a federal program that provides funds to help officers cope with the stress to which they’re subjected every time they don that uniform.

The Fitchburg Police Department happens to be one of many across the state awarded that monetary assistance.

That department recently received a $81,420 sum from the U. S. Department of Justice for access to mentalhealth and wellness services for local law enforcement.

Fitchburg Police Chief Ernest Martineau said the grant will allow the department to provide officers with the tools they need to cope with stress factors unique to their jobs, which can leave them vulnerable to depression, substance abuse and suicide.

Specifically, the funding will allow the department to create the Fitchburg Resilience and Wellness Program to offer officers ongoing support.

Part of the $4.5 million awarded to 41 law-enforcement agencies across the state, these grants come courtesy of the COPS Office Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act Program.

It’s designed to improve mental-health and wellness services for police officers through training, assistance, and practices related to peer mentoring and suicide prevention.

Martineau said the money will allow him to provide training to about 60 local law-enforcement personnel in Fitchburg, as well as other communities. He said the goal is to create several Resiliency Program officers, who in turn will train their own departments.

In a press release, COPS Office Director Phil Keith said he knows firsthand the pressures that come with the profession after serving over 50 years on the job. “This Department of Justice is committed to protecting the health and wellness of a police department’s most valuable asset — the men and women that leave their homes every day with a mission to protect and serve.”

Martineau explained that the program’s benefits extend beyond a particular police department.

“The wellness and safety of law-enforcement officers is critical not only to themselves, their colleagues, and the agency, but also to the public they serve,” he said.

“If you call the police, you want to be sure the officer coming to your crisis is well and healthy.”

That’s perhaps the most vital component of this program, especially now when police have been placed under microscopic scrutiny.

The ability to make the correct split-second decision under sometimes life-threatening circumstances has never been more important.

The chances of that occurring rise exponentially if a physically and mentally fit police officer arrives on the scene.

While we’ve all condemned the egregious examples of police brutality that rightly have claimed national headlines, it’s also true that without walking in their shoes, no one can really appreciate a police officer’s everyday challenges.

It’s no wonder that a study conducted by the Ruderman Family Foundation, a philanthropic organization, found that police officers are more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty.

According to Blue-Help, a nonprofit dedicated to tracking police suicide and raising awareness, 228 officers across the country took their own lives in 2019. As of Monday, 125 police officers have died by suicide this year.

“Suicide is a concern amongst law enforcement,” Martineau said. “If we can train our personnel in just one or two techniques to channel stress, we think this program can change that.”

Programs like these will do far more to promote public safety than dismantling police departments dedicated to preserving and protecting the citizens they serve.