The cranston police department, in partnership with the rhode island behavioral health medical reserve corps (ribhmrc) and the training, innovation & leadership institute (tili), proposes to establish…

The Community Oriented Policing Program awarded the City of Cranston Police Department $200,000 on October 1, 2025, under the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act (LEMHWA, CFDA 16.070) to establish a standardized, statewide law enforcement peer support and wellness program for Rhode Island.

The program will deliver peer support officer (PSO) certification training to 80 officers over two years, covering trauma-informed peer communication, suicide prevention, crisis de-escalation, and post-incident referral pathways. Specialized leadership training for command staff will support sustainable cultural change. Five regional family wellness seminars and a Rhode Island Officer & Family Wellness Resource Guide will provide wraparound support to law enforcement families. The initiative will launch a 24/7 peer support activation team coordinated by the Rhode Island Behavioral Health Medical Reserve Corps (RIBHMRC) to deliver on-scene or post-incident support for critical events. A multimedia awareness campaign featuring real-world officer experiences will reduce stigma around help-seeking. The Training, Innovation & Leadership Institute (TILI) will oversee training development, delivery, and evaluation; a licensed behavioral health consultant will provide clinical oversight; and a part-time program manager will coordinate implementation and track deployment across state law enforcement agencies. Impact measurement will include surveys, usage metrics, and quarterly evaluations.

Performance takes place in Providence, Rhode Island. The award period runs through September 30, 2027. Sub-recipients are RIBHMRC and TILI, which execute peer support activation and training functions respectively.

The cranston police department, in partnership with the rhode island behavioral health medical reserve corps (ribhmrc) and the training, innovation & leadership institute (tili), proposes to establish a standardized, statewide law enforcement peer support & wellness program for rhode island. The initiative will ensure that every department - regardless of size or location - has access to trained peer support officers (psos), crisis response teams, and family wellness resources. This collaborative project directly addresses the cops office's goals of increasing capacity for mental health training, expanding peer support networks, and reducing stigma through leadership engagement and cultural transformation. With lemhwa funding, the program will deliver statewide PSO certification training to 80 officers over two years, including modules in trauma-informed peer communication, suicide prevention, crisis DE-escalation, and post-incident referral pathways. Specialized leadership training for command staff will foster sustainable top-down support. Five regional family wellness seminars and a rhode island officer & family wellness resource guide will ensure wraparound support for law enforcement families. The program will also launch a 24/7 peer support activation team coordinated by ribhmrc, providing on-scene or post-incident support for critical events. To reduce stigma, a multimedia awareness campaign will feature rhode island officers sharing real-world experiences and normalize help-seeking. Tili will oversee training development, delivery, and evaluation, while a licensed behavioral health consultant will provide clinical oversight to ensure best practices. A part-time program manager will manage coordination, deployment tracking, and agency engagement. Impact will be measured through surveys, usage metrics, and quarterly evaluations. This model builds resilience, standardizes care, and ensures equitable mental health support for law enforcement professionals and their families across rhode island.