Police chiefs are facing unprecedented mental health challenges amidst their efforts to lead their law enforcement organizations. Through the innovative efforts of Chief Neil Gang, the California Police Chiefs Association (CPCA) and Cordico, a groundbreaking program has been established.
GET TO KNOW THE team
Neil Gang, Chief of Police for the Pinole (Calif.) Police Department, CPCA board of directors, wellness committee chair IACP, OSW vice chair and author of the “Asher Model,” Dr. David Black, president of wellness solutions at Lexipol, and Dr. Jaime Brower, VP of peer support and clinician training and certification at Lexipol, will be presenting on the nation’s first executive peer support program for police chiefs at IACP 2023.
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The health of an organization truly starts at the top. (Photo/Police1)
Who truly understands the many unique stressors, pressures and demands police chiefs face? The answer is simple: other police chiefs.
Long hours, political strife, ethical dilemmas, numerous roles and obligations, along with a litany of crises to navigate, often leave self-care and personal wellness on the back burner.
Adding to these challenges, securing appropriate support resources can be difficult given the widespread lack of understanding of the unique obstacles faced by police chiefs, in addition to confidentiality concerns, and nationwide clinician shortages.
ESTABLISHING A peer support team
Chief Gang recently spearheaded an innovative project to establish a police chief’s peer support team throughout the state of California.
More than 20 police chiefs completed training and certification this year, serving as the nation’s first certified Executive Peer Support Team for Police Chiefs.
Following a national search, the CPCA selected Dr. Brower’s National Emergency Responder and Public Safety Center (now the Cordico Peer Support Training and Certification program), to achieve Chief Gang’s vision due to the program’s quality, scalability, best-practice guidelines and standardization.
MAKING SUPPORT readily AVAILABLE
The Cordico Peer Support Training and Certification program includes 25 hours of online, self-paced core curriculum. It was developed by industry experts, with live webinars and courses covering the topics most critical to police chiefs dedicated to supporting their peers.
While Chief Gang appreciates the criticality of strongly trained peer support teams at all levels, he also identified the need to support chiefs, who are often isolated and have few resources to ensure their own mental health and wellness.
The health of an organization truly starts at the top and chiefs must model what they expect from their personnel. This proactive and easily accessible program provides intervention strategies based on best-practice guidelines for chiefs to survive and thrive in their leadership position.
NEED MORE INFORMATION?
For more information, click here to learn more about the Cordico Peer Support Training and Certification. And if you’re interested in taking a free course, check out Moral Distress and Injury or Morale and Resiliency to learn and share within your department about these important topics.
NEXT: How police leaders can help officers better handle organizational stressors
