Santa rosa county sheriff's office (srso) will use funding to implement the project of santa rosa sheriff's office employee mental wellness program will integrate mental wellness within agency culture…

The Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Program awarded $199,963 to Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office on October 1, 2025, under the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act (CFDA 16.070) to implement an employee mental wellness program.

The recipient will integrate mental wellness into agency culture by providing mental health and wellness training and confidential access to mental health resources for employees and family members. Activities include strengthening the peer support team through evidence-based professional training delivered by Livingworks Education Inc., enabling PST members to provide rapid critical response, intervention, and resources to personnel experiencing crises using dedicated overtime hours. The program will also embed a licensed mental health professional who will conduct annual wellness checks of all agency personnel, retirees, and volunteers; deliver quarterly mental wellness training on various topics; hold monthly meetings with PST members; and maintain field presence through ride-alongs and on-call response for critical incidents. The recipient aims to annually decrease distress symptom frequency and severity, increase mental wellness educational opportunities, and develop clinical and non-clinical connections with the embedded professional.

Performance runs through September 30, 2027, with work conducted in Milton, Florida. The assistance type is a Project Grant. Recipients must submit semiannual programmatic performance reports and quarterly SF-425 Federal Financial Reports, along with a final closeout report.

Santa rosa county sheriff's office (srso) will use funding to implement the project of santa rosa sheriff's office employee mental wellness program will integrate mental wellness within agency culture by increasing the agency's capability to provide mental health and wellness training and confidential access to mental health resources for employees and family members, as well as strengthening the proficiency of the existing peer support team and reducing the stigma associated with seeking and receiving mental health assistance. Srso will strengthen our existing peer support team by providing evidence-based professional training through livingworks education INC., that will enable PST members to provide rapid critical response, intervention and resources to agency personnel experiencing crises while utilizing dedicated overtime hours to decrease potential conflict with PST members' regular agency duties. Additionally, the mental wellness program will include an embedded licensed mental health professional who will confidentially perform duties as recommended by UCF restores 2ND alarm project clinician, such as annual wellness checks of all agency personnel, retirees, and volunteers, will be expected to deliver quarterly mental wellness training on various topics and monthly meetings with PST members, and maintain a field presence with ride-along and on-call response for critical incidents. Srso seeks to annually decrease distress symptom frequency and severity, increase the quantity of mental wellness educational opportunities offered, and develop and promote clinical and non-clinical connections with the embedded licensed mental health professional. Improved law enforcement wellbeing through these services will lead to positive outcomes in police work, improving community relationships and collaborations to demonstrate crucial components of community policing.