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

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Leadership
    • Go that extra mile with a smile
      Improving the promotional process for supervisors
      Developing an ethics-centered police department
      Leadership without the family factor is not leadership
      Prozac saved my career, and possibly my life
  • Topics
    • Leadership
      • Go that extra mile with a smile
        Improving the promotional process for supervisors
        Developing an ethics-centered police department
        Leadership without the family factor is not leadership
        Prozac saved my career, and possibly my life
    • Editor’s Picks
      • Getting ahead of the story
        A state in crisis
        Historic win for public servants
        California Highway Patrol officer saves pilot moments before explosion
        Combating false information on your agency’s social media
    • On the Job
      • No case too cold
        Summer is coming
        Securing the Texas border one K-9 team at a time
        Empowering through experience
        Philadelphia Amtrack officer’s quick actions saves conductor’s...
    • Labor
      • Insufficient police staffing continues throughout the U.S.
        The righteous battle
        Recruitment and retention
        Austin police chief aims to end officer shortage as recruitment...
        Dallas City Council approves increased hiring goal for police...
    • Tech
      • Telegram investigations
        Florida sheriff’s office deploys cutting-edge forensic tool to...
        A new chapter for Utah law enforcement
        Is AI the future of report writing?
        Interagency communication in the age of email, YouTube and Zoom
    • Training
      • Off duty, but never off guard
        Meeting training needs on a limited budget
        Be a thermostat, not a thermometer
        Duty knives: Practical or just “tacticool”
        Dry-fire practice doesn’t need to be boring
    • Policy
      • Michigan Supreme Court: Marijuana odor alone no longer justifies...
        Milwaukee P.D. and schools clash over SROs
        Seattle Police Department launches new plan to curb violent crime
        Buffer-zone law blocked in Louisiana
        Dakota’s Law: Pensions for police dogs?
    • Health/Wellness
      • Texas sheriff’s office hit with series of suicides
        The tyranny of memories
        “Why are you mad at me?”
        Tired of being tired?
        Keeping your relationship resilient
    • Community
      • Battle of the Badges baseball game to support injured Missouri officer
        Temple University Police celebrate 7-year-old’s support with...
        A local problem with a statewide solution
        From traffic stops to tip-offs: Iowa officer becomes basketball...
        A state in crisis
    • Offbeat
      • Not eggzactly a perfect heist
        Pizza … with a side of alligator?
        Wisconsin man charged with impersonating Border Patrol agent twice in...
        Only in California?
        Durango, Colorado, police hop into action after unusual 9-1-1 call
    • We Remember
      • Honoring Fallen Heroes
        What’s with the white chairs?
        The pain and sorrow of loss
        A cop and his car
        A dream of remembrance
    • HOT Mail
      • The War on Cops Continues Unabated
  • On the Job
    • No case too cold
      Summer is coming
      Securing the Texas border one K-9 team at a time
      Empowering through experience
      Philadelphia Amtrack officer’s quick actions saves conductor’s...
  • Labor
    • Insufficient police staffing continues throughout the U.S.
      The righteous battle
      Recruitment and retention
      Austin police chief aims to end officer shortage as recruitment...
      Dallas City Council approves increased hiring goal for police...
  • Tech
    • Telegram investigations
      Florida sheriff’s office deploys cutting-edge forensic tool to...
      A new chapter for Utah law enforcement
      Is AI the future of report writing?
      Interagency communication in the age of email, YouTube and Zoom
  • Training
    • Off duty, but never off guard
      Meeting training needs on a limited budget
      Be a thermostat, not a thermometer
      Duty knives: Practical or just “tacticool”
      Dry-fire practice doesn’t need to be boring
  • Policy
    • Michigan Supreme Court: Marijuana odor alone no longer justifies...
      Milwaukee P.D. and schools clash over SROs
      Seattle Police Department launches new plan to curb violent crime
      Buffer-zone law blocked in Louisiana
      Dakota’s Law: Pensions for police dogs?
  • Health/Wellness
    • Texas sheriff’s office hit with series of suicides
      The tyranny of memories
      “Why are you mad at me?”
      Tired of being tired?
      Keeping your relationship resilient
  • Community
    • Battle of the Badges baseball game to support injured Missouri officer
      Temple University Police celebrate 7-year-old’s support with...
      A local problem with a statewide solution
      From traffic stops to tip-offs: Iowa officer becomes basketball...
      A state in crisis
  • Offbeat
    • Not eggzactly a perfect heist
      Pizza … with a side of alligator?
      Wisconsin man charged with impersonating Border Patrol agent twice in...
      Only in California?
      Durango, Colorado, police hop into action after unusual 9-1-1 call
  • We Remember
    • Honoring Fallen Heroes
      What’s with the white chairs?
      The pain and sorrow of loss
      A cop and his car
      A dream of remembrance
  • HOT Mail
    • The War on Cops Continues Unabated
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
Search

Health/Wellness

Massachusetts police department prioritizes officers’ mental health needs

APB Team Published March 1, 2023 @ 3:00 pm PST

iStock.com/Motortion

The Foxborough, Massachusetts, Police Department is offering mental health resources for its officers to make sure they get the help they need when they need it.

Foxborough Sergeant Valesay Collins told The Foxboro Reporter that many officers have difficulty maintaining their own well-being.

“The culture within law enforcement certainly fed into that. We are the ones that are called to help others,” Collins said. “The thought was that we don’t need anyone to help us. What makes things difficult is once you’ve handled the call for assistance your right back in the mix. There’s very little time during a shift to process a traumatic call. Those calls can stay with you.”

To address officers’ mental health, Foxborough police are joining with the Metro Crisis Incident Stress Management Peer Support Team, which provides various resources for police officers.

“More officers understand that by taking care of our mental health, we can obtain a positive work–life balance,” Collins said.

According to Collins, the program offers peer-to-peer support, a feature of many mental health programs used by law enforcement agencies across the country.

“Officers can have a chance to sit with a peer to talk about how they feel. We’ve found that the peer-to-peer model has very positive outcomes,” Collins explained.

Officers deal with chronic stress that stems from constant exposure to emergency situations and working long shifts.

“We have a front-row seat to life and a lot of times what we see is negative. It’s hard to explain that to someone who hasn’t experienced it. That’s why peer support can be so important. The person you’re talking to gets it,” Collins said.

The department has also started other initiatives aimed at improving mental health, such as giving officers more time during debriefing for talking and interacting with one another.

In addition, the Massachusetts Police Training Council has increased training focusing on mental health.

For example, Foxborough police said most of its officers have received crisis intervention training.

Collins added that the department is also encouraging mental and physical fitness with step challenges.

Collins said according to research, the rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among law enforcement officers ranges anywhere from 7% to 20%. Officers are also at a higher risk of developing depression, sleep disorders and anxiety disorder. One study found 25% of law enforcement participants reported having suicidal thoughts compared to 13.5% of civilian participants.

“There are many different studies, however, the Law Enforcement Suicide Data Collection is working to collect data to better understand and prevent suicides among current and former law enforcement officers, corrections, dispatchers, judges, and prosecutors with current numbers not released yet,” Collins said.

The COVID-19 pandemic also took its toll on mental health in law enforcement, but the upshot has been greater awareness of the issue.

“I feel that the stress of working during COVID was discussed among officers. The concern of contracting COVID due to our constant exposure to the public was a common conversation,” Collins said. “I think there have been more discussions about mental health overall in society since the pandemic and there has been more education and effort to destigmatize mental health not only for the individual but for families with a loved one who may be struggling.”

Categories: Health/Wellness Tags: COVID-19, crisis intervention, mental health, peer support, Massachusetts, Foxborough Police Department, psychological disorder, Valesay Collins, PTSD, stress

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • Honoring Fallen Heroes
  • What’s with the white chairs?
  • The pain and sorrow of loss
  • A cop and his car
  • No case too cold
  • Texas sheriff’s office hit with series of suicides
  • Summer is coming
  • Off duty, but never off guard
  • The tyranny of memories
  • Insufficient police staffing continues throughout the U.S.

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 | (800) 234-0056.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Categories

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

Editor’s Picks

Getting ahead of the story

Getting ahead of the story

February 17, 2025

A state in crisis

A state in crisis

February 15, 2025

Historic win for public servants

Historic win for public servants

February 13, 2025

California Highway Patrol officer saves pilot moments...

California Highway Patrol officer saves pilot moments...

February 03, 2025

Policies | Consent Preferences | Copyright © 2025 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.