Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act (LEMHWA) grant funds are intended to be used to improve the delivery of and access to mental health and wellness services for law enforcement through the implementation of peer support, training, family resources, suicide prevention, and other promising practices for wellness programs.
The FY24 LEMHWA grant program will fund projects that develop knowledge, increase awareness of effective mental health and wellness strategies, increase the skills and abilities of law enforcement, and increase the number of law enforcement agencies and relevant stakeholders using peer support, training, family resources, suicide prevention, and other promising practices for wellness programs.
The grant can be used to fund a range of activities, including:
- Developing and implementing peer support programs to provide officers with emotional support and assistance during difficult times.
- Providing training on stress management, resilience, and mental health awareness to law enforcement officers.
- Establishing or enhancing crisis intervention teams to provide officers with access to mental health services when they need it.
- Conducting research on the mental health needs of law enforcement officers and identifying best practices for supporting their well-being.
- Providing mental health services to law enforcement officers, including counseling, therapy, and other forms of treatment.
Beyond Us & Them’s Peace Officer Wellness, Empathy & Resilience (POWER) Training Program is one such activity for which LEMHWA funds can be used.
DOJ Partnership, IADLEST & C-POST
In April of 2022, Beyond Us & Them entered into a formal partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice to work together to increase law enforcement awareness of the intersectionality of wellness, compassion, procedural justice, and community building. Through this collaboration, the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) division of the DOJ works to highlight Beyond Us & Them’s science-based strategies for optimizing physical, emotional, mental, and relational health through the POWER program that explores strategies for addressing empathy fatigue, moral distress, pathological altruism, depersonalization and burnout.
This partnership emphasizes the way in which the skillful integration of high ethical standards, personal health and well-being, and sustainable practices for navigating the professional demands of police work can help officers enhance compassion toward both themselves and their communities, while supporting positive agency culture and improved community relations.
The POWER Training Program has received certification from the California Commission on Police Officer Standards and Training (C-POST) for police and correctional officers throughout California.
In addition, POWER received the National Certification Program Seal of Excellence from IADLEST, the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training. After a thorough and rigorous independent review process, IADLEST concluded that the POWER curriculum and program design were of exceptional quality.
Who is eligible?
Law enforcement agencies, state law enforcement agencies, federally recognized Indian tribes and their public agencies, and territorial law enforcement agencies. Any state, local, tribal, or territorial law enforcement agencies seeking to implement training for officer emotional and mental health, peer mentoring, suicide prevention, stress reduction, and support services for officers and their families should know about and apply for the LEMHWA grant.
The FY24 deadline to apply was Tuesday, April 23, 2024. Check back in early 2025 as we’ll update on program deadlines.
POWER training program research
POWER has been evaluated by researchers utilizing psychosocial surveys developed with RAND CORP & UCLA, utilizing validated academic scales. This data points to statistically significant improvement in mindfulness, emotion regulation, empathy, perceived stress and anger. Anecdotal evidence (focus groups and testimonials) include reports of reduction in headaches and stomach aches, better sleep, more exercise and decreases in blood pressure, as well as improved family relations and better overall mood.
Recent technological advances have made it possible to include biometric measurements, assessing Heart Rate Variability. For police officers in the 3-month POWER Training Program, researchers found a trend toward increased Very Low Frequency HRV after 3 months — which implies improved health and correlates with their anecdotal remarks on what they were experiencing in their health. Research also demonstrated that their HRV pattern became more coherent. Read more about this research in a peer reviewed article published in the Journal of Community Safety and Well-being and available here.
Read recent evaluation reports here:
Download the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office Report
Download the Los Angeles Police Department Report
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