Mental health services for police

This article from Austin, Texas reports increasing use of mental health services by police, particularly through the department’s peer support program. The police chief notes that “This is a career where you can’t unsee things that you have seen” but that traditionally “it’s OK to be injured as long as it’s below the chin. It wasn’t OK to be injured above because that was seen as a weakness.” Heightened public scrutiny is cited as one source of stress and burnout, along with stalled labor negotiations causing financial struggles for more officers. A pending proposal at the state level is to require periodic psychological exams, which are currently mandated only at the stage of initial hiring.

Tags: Texas