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Local first responders trained on mental health, substance abuse among officers

Posted at 5:55 AM, Mar 25, 2022
and last updated 2022-03-25 06:56:46-04

BELLEVUE, Neb. (KMTV) — More and more communities are noting the importance of mental health when it comes to law enforcement.

A new Nebraska law requires law enforcement officers to have more training hours, including training on mental health, substance abuse and officer wellness. This week, hundreds of local officers are learning how to spot these warning signs in themselves and others.

Matthew Howey of the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office says these aren’t topics officers always feel comfortable talking about.

"We do a really good job of helping people out, but we are terrible at helping ourselves out," Howey said. "And so this is just a way for our officers or law enforcement community to get information on things to be aware of mental health issues among themselves or fellow officers, or maybe even substance abuse.”

According to research collected by the Kaiser Permanente Foundation in 2020, 85% of first responders have experienced mental health-related symptoms, and they are five times more likely to have depression or PTSD.

But 7 out of 10 say they’d seek help if a leader in their organization spoke openly about their own experience with mental health.

"One of the things, by-and-large, that I think we have not done a good job of is helping really focus on the first responders, their families at home, how they can best take care of themselves," said Jason Workman, director of behavioral health with the First Responders Foundation.

This week, officers with the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office and other local officers are hearing from former first responders like Workman about their experience and why this is important.

"The healthier they are in those areas of their lives, the healthier they are when they go into the community to serve their communities," Workman said.

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