During a career in law enforcement, officers are involved in many traumatic incidents. What can police agencies do to help their personnel mentally prepare for those incidents? Building resilience within employees is essential and that responsibility falls to law enforcement leadership.

In this episode of Policing Matters, host Jim Dudley reports from the California Peace Officers Association (CPOA) Conference where he spoke to Sergeant Eric Thorton and Sergeant Steve Breakall from the El Cajon (California) Police Department about their presentation titled "Leading for Resilience." They discuss how first-line supervisors can build resilience among their officers to help them navigate through modern mental wellness by recognizing PTSD, normalizing self-care and reducing stigmas surrounding officer mental health.

If there is a report-writing issue, the supervisor helps take care of it. If there is a building search issue, the supervisor helps take care of it. If there is an emotional trauma issue, then the supervisor should help take care of it and help the officer navigate through it." 

This episode of Policing Matters is sponsored by Utility. Utility provides a universe of intuitive solutions for effectively capturing, analyzing, managing, and sharing video evidence. Technologies include a variety of cameras, sensors, and devices, as well as situational awareness software solutions for law enforcement, first responders, transportation agencies, and utility providers. To learn more about Utility and its technology solutions, visit utility.com.