• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Subscribe to the Magazine
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Editor’s Picks
    • The power of teamwork
      Stay awake and alert on the job
      The worst rank in law enforcement
      Firearms maintenance
      Why fries need salt
  • Topics
    • On the Job
      • Detroit law enforcement agencies continue fight against freeway...
        Law enforcement agencies prepare for civil unrest following leaked...
        Arizona troopers find nearly 40 pounds of fentanyl pills and cocaine...
        Equipment and training considerations for pistol-mounted optics
        Think of de-escalation as conflict resolution
    • Labor
      • NYPD overtime expected to surpass budget by over $142 million to...
        Portland police shut down cold case unit to reinforce homicide...
        Living in the ashes
        Atlanta mayor wants to hire 450 more police officers to expand...
        Florida sheriff’s office cites recruitment and retention crisis...
    • Tech
      • High-tech policing
        Open-source investigations
        Virginia lawmakers lift ban on the use of facial recognition...
        Iowa State University simulation training module offers de-escalation...
        Law enforcement warns about the dangers of Apple AirTags and unwanted...
    • Training
      • “The hidden danger is the water”
        Weapon retention
        Developing trauma-informed training and drills for K–12 schools
        Crime prevention training
        So you want to be a civilian firearms trainer?
    • Policy
      • Court says man arrested for making fake P.D. Facebook page did not...
        Orange County D.A. unveils new PSA against street racing with actors...
        New Jersey revises policy to allow police to engage in car chases...
        DOJ announces online resource center for law enforcement agencies to...
        Florida bill creating election fraud police force becomes law
    • Health/Wellness
      • What anxiety is — and what not to do about it
        Supporting a partner in crisis
        Spiritual resilience
        Overcoming relationship communication challenges
        How visual simulation training can activate your trauma
    • Community
      • LGBTQ police officers allowed to participate in Denver PrideFest...
        California police department helps pay for families’ groceries as a...
        “I thought he was going to die”: 6-year-old calls police to save...
        Treated like royalty
        Dispatchers: The unsung heroes
    • Offbeat
      • Maine police arrest man hiding under a blanket in ghost disguise
        Texas burglar mows the lawn before fleeing police
        Drone flying bag of handguns across the U.S.-Canada border gets stuck...
        Receding water levels in Lake Mead uncover barrel containing a dead...
        Pet duck helps North Carolina police solve murder mystery
    • We Remember
      • A living legacy
        Not in vain
        Honoring Fallen Heroes
        Florida law enforcement, legislators weigh whether to classify...
        National Law Enforcement Museum offers free Saturday admission for...
  • On the Job
    • Detroit law enforcement agencies continue fight against freeway...
      Law enforcement agencies prepare for civil unrest following leaked...
      Arizona troopers find nearly 40 pounds of fentanyl pills and cocaine...
      Equipment and training considerations for pistol-mounted optics
      Think of de-escalation as conflict resolution
  • Labor
    • NYPD overtime expected to surpass budget by over $142 million to...
      Portland police shut down cold case unit to reinforce homicide...
      Living in the ashes
      Atlanta mayor wants to hire 450 more police officers to expand...
      Florida sheriff’s office cites recruitment and retention crisis...
  • Tech
    • High-tech policing
      Open-source investigations
      Virginia lawmakers lift ban on the use of facial recognition...
      Iowa State University simulation training module offers de-escalation...
      Law enforcement warns about the dangers of Apple AirTags and unwanted...
  • Training
    • “The hidden danger is the water”
      Weapon retention
      Developing trauma-informed training and drills for K–12 schools
      Crime prevention training
      So you want to be a civilian firearms trainer?
  • Policy
    • Court says man arrested for making fake P.D. Facebook page did not...
      Orange County D.A. unveils new PSA against street racing with actors...
      New Jersey revises policy to allow police to engage in car chases...
      DOJ announces online resource center for law enforcement agencies to...
      Florida bill creating election fraud police force becomes law
  • Health/Wellness
    • What anxiety is — and what not to do about it
      Supporting a partner in crisis
      Spiritual resilience
      Overcoming relationship communication challenges
      How visual simulation training can activate your trauma
  • Community
    • LGBTQ police officers allowed to participate in Denver PrideFest...
      California police department helps pay for families’ groceries as a...
      “I thought he was going to die”: 6-year-old calls police to save...
      Treated like royalty
      Dispatchers: The unsung heroes
  • Offbeat
    • Maine police arrest man hiding under a blanket in ghost disguise
      Texas burglar mows the lawn before fleeing police
      Drone flying bag of handguns across the U.S.-Canada border gets stuck...
      Receding water levels in Lake Mead uncover barrel containing a dead...
      Pet duck helps North Carolina police solve murder mystery
  • We Remember
    • A living legacy
      Not in vain
      Honoring Fallen Heroes
      Florida law enforcement, legislators weigh whether to classify...
      National Law Enforcement Museum offers free Saturday admission for...
  • Between the Lines
    • Persecution of the LEO is Classic Schadenfreude
      The Rule of Law is Worthless Without Order
      School policing: a paradox of the defund movement
      Defending the honor of the LE profession – finally!
      The dichotomy of the defund movement: reality setting in
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Search

Health/Wellness

Small town Minnesota police department officers one-month paid sabbatical to officers

APB Team Published January 31, 2022 @ 6:00 am PST

iStock.com/BrianAJackson

A small-town Minnesota police department is offering its officers a one-month paid sabbatical to officers to recruit, retain and improve the overall health of its sworn personnel.

The Paynesville Police Department — a department of four officers that serves a city with a population of just 2,500 residents – believes the unique proposal will reduce overall stress and increase the longevity of its officers.

Officer Cody Haakonson, currently the longest-serving officer in Paynesville at just under three years, talked about his experience and responsibilities.

“Every day is different,” Haakonson told Fox 9. “I get to see so many different experiences, see so many different people.”

But working for a small town does not mean he’s not busy. Officers in Paynesville handle homicides, drug cases and domestic calls routinely. Not having many fellow officers to shoulder the burden takes its toll on the few responsible officers.

To take some of the load off, Chief Paul Wegner decided to give his officers a one-month paid vacation.

“Usually, you start seeing guys struggle between year three and five,” Chief Wegner said. “They’ve been in long enough, they’ve seen enough, they’ve dealt with enough, you know, and now they’re starting to experience some of that stress.”

Now, officers will be able to remove themselves completely from their job for one whole month to decompress. Wegner said that companies that provide such benefits yield more productivity and retention in the long run.

“The more I kind of researched it, the more I found that companies would see better production from their staff,” said Chief Wegner. “It decreased the errors and mistakes that were being made because they were more focused on what needed to be done and ultimately their job performance improved and increased.”

Wegner and the police union managed to convince the mayor and the city council to accept the change, arguing that a sabbatical would allow the department to retain more officers and is more cost-effective than losing officers to burnout or mental health issues.

The small department started coming up with innovative health and wellness ideas back in 2018 when they created a program to provide officers with free access to a gym, as well as two meetings a year with a psychologist or a chaplain.

Now, Wegner hopes to cycle the sabbatical once every three or four years.

“Yeah, I don’t have any plans of leaving, and I absolutely don’t now because I think the city and city council members have shown that they’re willing to invest in us,” Officer Haakonson said.

Categories: Health/Wellness Tags: Minnesota, PTSD, mental health, vacation, paid sabbatical, Paynesville Police Department, Cody Haakonson, Paul Wegner, productivity, small town

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • Detroit law enforcement agencies continue fight against freeway shootings
  • Court says man arrested for making fake P.D. Facebook page did not have rights violated
  • Law enforcement agencies prepare for civil unrest following leaked Supreme Court opinion on Roe v. Wade
  • Maine police arrest man hiding under a blanket in ghost disguise
  • Texas burglar mows the lawn before fleeing police
  • Drone flying bag of handguns across the U.S.-Canada border gets stuck in tree
  • Arizona troopers find nearly 40 pounds of fentanyl pills and cocaine hidden in unicorn backpack
  • “The hidden danger is the water”
  • NYPD overtime expected to surpass budget by over $142 million to combat crime
  • Equipment and training considerations for pistol-mounted optics

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Categories

  • Editor’s Picks
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Offbeat
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Events

Editor’s Picks

The power of teamwork

The power of teamwork

July 23, 2021

Stay awake and alert on the job

Stay awake and alert on the job

July 20, 2021

The worst rank in law enforcement

The worst rank in law enforcement

July 19, 2021

Firearms maintenance

Firearms maintenance

July 04, 2021

Privacy Policy | Copyright © 2022 APB Media, LLC | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close
Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.