The city of bluefield/bluefield police department will use FY24 lemhwa funding to provide training, programming, and support services focused on officer emotional and mental health, including…

The City of Bluefield, West Virginia was awarded a $186,339 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) under the Public Safety Partnership and Community Policing Grants (CFDA 16.710) program. The grant funding will be used to provide training, programming, and support services focused on officer emotional and mental health, including suicide prevention efforts, peer support, and clinical and family support services for a consortium of law enforcement agencies in several southern West Virginia counties. Key activities include delivering trainings on topics such as first responder wellness, PTSD recovery, trauma-informed workspaces, psychological disaster preparedness, officer family support, and suicide prevention. The project will also create and disseminate printed materials with resources information and display resources banners in each participating law enforcement agency to reduce stigma around officer mental health and wellness. This effort aligns with the principles of community-oriented policing to enhance public safety through collaborative partnerships and support for law enforcement personnel.

The city of bluefield/bluefield police department will use FY24 lemhwa funding to provide training, programming, and support services focused on officer emotional and mental health, including suicide prevention efforts, peer support, clinical and family support services for a consortium of law enforcement agencies in mercer, mcdowell, wyoming, and raleigh counties, in southern west virginia. This project will utilize promising practices and local, culturally competent trainers and service providers to provide peer support and leadership; first responder wellness; ptsd recovery; trauma-informed workspaces; psychological disaster preparedness; officer family support; and suicide prevention trainings. Additionally, this project will create and widely disseminate printed materials with resources information, as well as display resources banners in each of the law enforcement agencies to reduce stigma around law enforcement officers mental health and wellness. These proposed activities perfectly align with the principles of community-oriented policing.