Providing for the Health and Wellness of Public Safety Officers and their Families
Adopted at the in 2022
WHEREAS, during the last two years, the COVID-19 pandemic upended almost every aspect of how the police do their jobs and police have had to respond to community unrest and upheaval, which at times was directed at the police themselves; and
WHEREAS, officer wellness has a direct impact on officers' job performance, interactions with community members, and decision-making abilities and research has shown that by making employee wellness a top priority, police executives can help ensure the mental and physical health of their personnel and promote positive police community interactions; and
WHEREAS, for more than 10 years the Department of Justice through the COPS Office and the Office of Justice Programs has provided information and assistance to law enforcement agencies on officer safety and wellness; and
WHEREAS, the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act, which was signed into law in January 2018 and is currently funded at $8 million, provides funding through the COPS Office to create or improve mental health and wellness services in law enforcement agencies through the implementation of projects that provide better services and training on officer emotional and mental health, implement suicide prevention programming, and help officers seek assistance in receiving support services; and
WHEREAS, the bipartisan Public Safety Officers Support Act pending in both the House and the Senate would support the families of officers who struggle with their mental health or who are lost to trauma-linked suicides; and
WHEREAS, these officers' families are unable to receive the benefits they deserve because federal law currently limits the Public Safety Officers' Benefits program to only cover physical injuries and completely excludes any support for mental health concerns,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors urges passage this year of the Public Safety Officers Support Act; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors urges Congress and the Administration to continue to provide adequate funding for the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors encourages mayors and police chiefs to ensure that comprehensive health and wellness programs are in place in police departments to meet the needs of officers and other employees and that these programs include:
- identifying employee wellness needs;
- programming for different kinds of wellness, including physical, mental and emotional, financial, and spiritual wellness;
- mechanisms for delivering support, such as peer support and employee assistance programs (EAP);
- encouraging and increasing participation in wellness programming and providing information on the support available to both employees and their family members; and
- ensuring the confidentiality of peer support and EAP services.