The frankfort police department will use FY24 lemhwa funding to develop a local mental health and wellness program for officers

The Frankfort Police Department was awarded a $142,170 Project Grant under the U.S. Department of Justice's Public Safety Partnership and Community Policing Grants (CFDA 16.710) program. The grant funding will be used to develop a local mental health and wellness program for Frankfort's law enforcement officers over a two-year period from October 2024 to September 2026. Key program activities will include: 1) a mobile app to help officers and their families identify, prevent, and cope with stress in real-time; 2) training to establish an internal peer support team; 3) mental health and wellness seminars focused on post-traumatic stress; 4) a post-traumatic stress management course; 5) regular nutrition support from a dietitian; and 6) financial literacy and retirement readiness education. This comprehensive program aims to build the resiliency of Frankfort's law enforcement community, provide coping tools for stress management, and ultimately improve officer wellness and performance, which is critical for enhancing public safety in the city.

This program will help build the resiliency of frankforts law enforcement community and provide coping tools for stress management. Key program activities will include: 1) a mobile APP (e.g., cordicoshield) that can help officers and their families (including retirees) identify, prevent, and cope with stress in real-time; 2) training for the development of an internal peer support team that can help public safety personnel deal with traumatic events; 3) mental health and wellness seminars (available to police officers statewide), focused on post-traumatic stress; 4) a presentation of the post traumatic purpose course by travis howze; 5) regular support from a dietitian to ensure officers are eating better; and 6) financial literacy and retirement readiness education to prepare staff for their futures. Federal investment will support frankfort officers in handling traumatic incidents. This program is critical to helping the frankfort police department address unmet mental health needs, promote better job performance, support increased retention and recruitment of officers, and make frankfort a safer place to live, work, and play.