‘We’re usually seeing people on their worst days’

Jefferson County Sheriff Greggory Morton has an open-door policy with his officers whenever they need to talk.

'You have to remember, we're usually seeing people on their worst days,” Morton said.

While staying mentally healthy is important for everyone, it can be especially vital for law enforcement officers, who are often dealing with high-stress situations on a daily basis. But asking for help can also be especially hard.

'We all feel like we can't show that weakness. The public relies on us, they depend on us to be the strong ones, that persona of strength,” Morton said.

'The worst things are when it involves the elderly or young. That's where a lot of officers lose their armor, so to speak,” he added.

Lyle Murray, Mt. Pleasant Police Chief, echoed Morton's comments about the stigma around mental health.

'There's a stigma in law enforcement surrounding admitting you need help or you need to talk to someone. You do a yearly physical, why not do a mental check in to see how you're doing as well,” Murray said. The police chief said he tries to touch base with everyone in his department at least once a year, if not more.

The dangers of failing to stay mentally well are not new to law enforcement. Rich McNamee, Henry County's Sheriff, explained one of the most common mental health struggles for people who are on the front lines of traumatic events is post-traumatic stress disorder.

'I think the simplest way I can put that is PTSD. You see it soldiers, law enforcement, firefighters, ER doctors - anyone that deals with trauma. With soldiers, they sometimes deal with mass death and five years later they have a mental breakdown. It's important to stay on top of that so it doesn't go gangbusters in the head and explode at some point,” McNamee said.

Like other workplaces, law enforcement agencies in southeast Iowa provide counseling and mental health services as part of health insurance benefits. On top of access to therapists, police chiefs and sheriffs in the area explained their offices or departments also will hold critical incident stress debriefings after particularly tough calls such as bad car wrecks or shoot outs.

Jim Lester, Washington City Police Chief, said 'nothing is mandatory,” but officers are invited to attend.

'It's not a critique of the incident but more a venting session for the officers,” Lester explained. The Washington Police Chief added he feels one of the most valuable resources a law enforcement officer can have is a 'safe person to talk to” about potential stresses of the job.

'It's not good to keep those things penned up inside for anybody, let alone for an officer who sees a lot of things regular people wouldn't,” Lester added.

Sheriff McNamee added officers generally participate at any level they want to in those debriefing meetings.

'Some are the first to speak up and others might just get something by listening,” he said.

McNamee added his office also has a mentoring program which involves volunteers in the community who may have also previously faced traumatic situations. If needed, officers can choose to participate in the program and may find it easier to talk to someone who has an understanding of their experiences.

Often, law enforcement employees are encouraged to speak with peer officers.

'Everybody cries on each other's shoulders,” Morton added, 'I know they talk among themselves because you don't want to drag it home. There's a lot of baggage with this stuff.”