Preventing PTSD among law enforcement personnel is the goal of a wellness program being considered by the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department. Sheriff Jeff Richwine told the county council last week that the program would be an investment in his employees’ future.
“The secret to keeping people from getting PTSD is to get them into treatment early, so they learn how to deal with the things that they see in our job,” he explained. “And as long as they do that, then there’s a 75-percent chance that they won’t suffer from PTSD in the later years of their career.”
He said the idea came from the Boone County Sheriff’s Department, which has seen success with its wellness program. Richwine said he plans to use the same service provider for his employees. “I can guarantee you the people over there see things that I’m sure haunt them,” he added. “We see the videotapes of what they’re looking at and dealing with. And to be honest with you, I would like it for the whole place. I think jailers suffer from the same issues from what they deal with day to day, and I think dispatchers also have that same potential.”
Richwine thinks he has enough money available to fund the program on a trial basis. He estimates that would probably be enough to give each employee who needs counseling about five or six sessions. If the wellness program is successful, Richwine said he would request funding in the 2020 budget.
