Lebanon Police Department introduces new app for officer wellness
The Lebanon Police Department now has a wellness app exclusively for officers and their significant others. The app offers resources on mental, physical and spiritual to support mental health and well-being.
“(The app) has tips for physical strength, nutrition, sleeping better and self-assessments,” Major Tony Bayles said. “A happy officer equals happy citizens. If I’m putting a guy out on the street that’s having problems at home and doesn’t know how to deal with it or is having an issue here at work, how’s he going to treat the citizens of our city? So we want to give them a way to cope.”
Developed by a California-based company called Cordico, the app offers confidential help on topics such as alcohol, emotional health, depression and more.
“The app is 100% anonymous,” Bayles said. “You never enter in any of your personal information. We don’t know what you’re viewing on it. It’s totally for (the officers) and their families.”
One feature connects officers to the peer-support team of senior officers, including Bayles, by the push of a button in the app.
“We see that call is coming from an officer via the app so we know that we need to talk to them right away,” Bayles said. “There’s also a couple of direct lines to a help line and some other law-enforcement based 1-800 numbers that deal specifically with officer wellness and suicide prevention.”
Bayles learned about the app at a conference in February and in his new role as major wanted to implement it.
“We’re a very young department now,” Bayles said. “We want to give these young guys the tools and resources they need as they’re starting out early in their career, so they can have a long, healthy career.”
Bayles added that this does not replace any current employee assistance programs. It's just likely a little handier.
“Everybody’s got their phones in their hands 24-7,” Bayles said. “An officer can access that app on his phone if he has a couple of questions.”
The stresses of police work are well documented. Bayles has been with the department for 28 years and says things have changed over the years. When he started out, officers were expected to deal with stressful situations, no matter what they saw in the line of duty. Bayles said officers need an outlet for the stress of the job.
The app also includes a therapist finder feature, for officers who wish to pursue counseling.
Bayles said the app has been well received with nearly every officer on the department downloading the app.
Developed by a California-based company called Cordico, the app offers confidential help on topics such as alcohol, emotional health, depression and more.
“The app is 100% anonymous,” Bayles said. “You never enter in any of your personal information. We don’t know what you’re viewing on it. It’s totally for (the officers) and their families.”
One feature connects officers to the peer-support team of senior officers, including Bayles, by the push of a button in the app.
“We see that call is coming from an officer via the app so we know that we need to talk to them right away,” Bayles said. “There’s also a couple of direct lines to a help line and some other law-enforcement based 1-800 numbers that deal specifically with officer wellness and suicide prevention.”
Bayles learned about the app at a conference in February and in his new role as major wanted to implement it.
“We’re a very young department now,” Bayles said. “We want to give these young guys the tools and resources they need as they’re starting out early in their career, so they can have a long, healthy career.”
Bayles added that this does not replace any current employee assistance programs. It's just likely a little handier.
“Everybody’s got their phones in their hands 24-7,” Bayles said. “An officer can access that app on his phone if he has a couple of questions.”
The stresses of police work are well documented. Bayles has been with the department for 28 years and says things have changed over the years. When he started out, officers were expected to deal with stressful situations, no matter what they saw in the line of duty. Bayles said officers need an outlet for the stress of the job.
The app also includes a therapist finder feature, for officers who wish to pursue counseling.
Bayles said the app has been well received with nearly every officer on the department downloading the app.