In Harm’s Way: Psychological Survival for Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders - Lake County

The U.S. Attorney’s Office presented “In Harm’s Way: Psychological Survival for Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders,” at the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. This eight-hour conference was designed to improve the overall health and wellness of public safety officers and first responders, especially following critical incidents. Agenda topics included the basics of law enforcement stress; secondary trauma victims, including personnel, responders and the community; warning signs and risk factors of suicide; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); obstacles and barriers in law enforcement families; effective leadership, organizational structures, and intervention strategies; critical incident stress management/debriefing; peer support; and removing the barriers to getting help.

This course was developed by St. Petersburg College’s Florida Regional Community Policing Institute and is part of a nationwide effort to inform, educate, and provide assistance to law enforcement and public safety agencies on the critical issue of law enforcement and first responder suicide. To learn more about this important training, and to view the Law Enforcement Suicide Prevention toolkit, please visit http://policesuicide.spcollege.edu.