Evaluating The Effects of the Blue Courage Police Training Program

• In Event: Evaluation of Police Training Programs

Abstract

Research consistently suggests that police officers suffer from severe health and wellbeing consequences, including mental health, as a result of their work. Officers are more likely to separate from spouses and suffer from higher rates of depression, work related stress, alcoholism, and suicide. Some literature draws a connection between these aspects of workplace wellbeing and work related outcomes. In the context of police work, this suggests that the health and wellbeing of officers may have a direct relationship on aspects critical to policing such as police-community interactions and even police-community relations.
Blue Courage is designed specifically to target the health and wellbeing of police officers. Specifically, Blue Courage focuses on building the often ignored aspects of policing (what they call the “Heartset” and “Mindset” of officers). This research examines the effect of Blue Courage trainings on officer health and wellbeing in the State of New York, and will discuss the impact of a health and wellbeing focused police training on improving individual officer’s lives and police-community interactions and relations.

Authors

• Greg Drake, Michigan State University

• John Klofas, Rochester Institute of Technology