Officer wellness, and how best to support it, has become an important and high-profile topic of discussion within the law enforcement profession.  The past five years have seen the gradual emergence of discourse in this previously unaddressed area as think tanks such as the California Chiefs Wellness Committee work behind the scenes to share knowledge and experience in these domains, and ultimately raise awareness of the importance and responsibility of leadership for caring for the well-being of their workforce.  

On May 12, 2022, California Police Chiefs Association convened for an Employee Wellness Summit, to discuss Holistic Organizational Wellness Approaches.  Chief Robert Jonsen, City of Palo Alto Police Department, and Principal Instructor of Courageous Heart Training, along with Chief Ryan Johansen of San Bruno Police Department, delivered a session on Mindfulness and Resilience.  Their session connected empirical findings on the mechanics of human physiology with key elements and stressors of the job of sworn peace officers, dispatchers, and professional staff, presenting a clear reminder that organizational culture must shift to support wellness-oriented initiatives in order to be successful.  In addition, Chief Jonsen also provided a deep-dive session into Sleep Deprivation and its effects on personal health and job performance. 

“While we are making progress as a profession in addressing officer wellness, there is much work to be done to translate growing interest into deeper understanding of the benefits of resilience and wellness training, and ultimately the importance of offering the training to the workforce on an opt-in basis,” commented Chief Jonsen. “I am delighted and encouraged to see a new provision for an additional $50M in State grant funding to help support officer wellness efforts.  With agency budgets and staffing levels continuing to be under severe pressure, this funding will be a significant boost to make training available that would otherwise not have made the cut.”  

Through our Courageous Heart program, CI offers resilience and compassion training to California law enforcement officers and professionals.  If you are working in a law enforcement agency and would like to attend Courageous Heart Training, please email [email protected]