In the continually evolving landscape of policing, the pursuit of effective strategies to address resilience has become a focal point for leaders around the globe. The extension of officer wellness strategies beyond a conventional emphasis on physical health is playing an increasingly crucial role in fostering lasting positive impacts for individual employees and departments. While the beneficial impacts of wellness programs can be difficult to measure and are often expressed only anecdotally, research is lacking on the overlooked, yet arguably more beneficial, impacts that caring for employees can have on long-lasting resilience. Numerous agencies have successfully established and are operating peer support, chaplaincy, and wellness programs. However, despite these efforts, agencies are still experiencing challenges locating and retaining personnel. Which begs the question, where are these services missing the mark? Are supportive resources that can positively impact personnel while also providing benefits to agencies still missing? When stepping back and examining the challenges that have arisen in the post-2020 world of policing, the missing piece of wellness programs becomes apparent—they consistently overlook the care of families and support structures. Every officer recognizes that their job impacts their family, and, reciprocally, their family impacts their job.
In the tumultuous years since 2020, police agencies witnessed a notable surge in families persuading their officers to reconsider their commitment to the profession, deeming the associated risks no longer worthwhile. For the first time, leadership are starting to recognize that families play a pivotal role in retention, evidenced by the substantial number of officers departing at the behest of their families. Equally as important, however, is that when families feel more supported and less fearful, they are just as likely to support their loved one’s decision to stay in the profession.
Historically, families have inherently understood the challenges and demands a policing career can have on familial dynamics, but these challenges seem to be intensified in recent years. Poignant stories have emerged from police officers’ children recounting intense bullying experiences at school and on social media and the loss of friendships, as well as reportedly feeling unsafe because they are tied to the police profession through their parents. Spouses also report feeling unsafe sharing details about their partner’s profession and more hesitant to reach out for help, given the prevailing sentiments expressed by friends and coworkers on social media. These situations can, in turn, lead the officer in the family to feel a tremendous amount of responsibility, guilt, and resentment toward their career. These reports shed a glaring light on the undeniable truth that police families are profoundly influenced by the challenges of the job.1 When compounded by the daily trauma officers face, households become a volatile mix of emotions.
