Law Enforcement Trainee Health and Wellness Bulletin

Health and wellness are paramount for law enforcement. Many agencies continue to face staffing shortages leading to long shift schedules; officer fatigue and burnout; residual effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; and stress from the public’s increased awareness and scrutiny. As a result, law enforcement officers experience higher rates of suicide, depression, substance use disorders, and cardiac arrest compared to the general population. Health and wellness are also specifically important for police trainees. Throughout the onboarding process, from academy to field training to patrol, trainees are expected to quickly acclimate to the internal and external functions and associated stressors of the policing profession.

To this end, as part of the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)-funded initiative Using Analytics to Improve Officer Safety, CNA’s Center for Justice Research and Innovation produced this bulletin to support law enforcement agencies in recognizing and combating health and wellness challenges trainees may face. This bulletin also provides information that can guide resource allocation and the development of practices to promote trainee health and wellness.

Visit CNA’s Officer Safety and Wellness page to learn more about this initiative.

Methods

This draws on data collected from law enforcement officer interviews conducted as part of (1) the BJA-funded Using Analytics to Improve Officer Safety initiative, (2) the CNA-funded Field Training Programs in Law Enforcement project; and (3) a review of academic literature, US Department of Justice technical research reports, and institutional reports.