Kansas City program helps police cope with job's traumas
KANSAS CITY (AP) - Kansas City police are offering more training to cope with various traumas they may experience on the job.
The Kansas City Star reports that a new program at the police academy helps officers, dispatchers, crime scene technicians and others. Four-hour sessions teach them to recognize, avoid and deal with situations that can trigger stress and anxiety.
Organizers say the sessions help them improve their home lives and their ability to relate with the community. The hope is that law enforcement workers won't dehumanize people and issues as means of coping.
Last August, Truman Medical Center officials approached several law enforcement agencies about participating in the training. Only Kansas City accepted. Organizers used a $65,000 grant from the Jackson County mental health levy to design the training model.