It was a radical idea: Require every member of the City of Hyattsville Police Department (HPD) in Prince George’s County, Maryland, to meet with mental health professionals four times a year.

Everyone surely would be on board with this concept, especially when political division, social unrest, and the COVID-19 pandemic were driving anger, anxiety, and depression to unprecedented levels in the United States. This program would set the standard and wipe out stigma, and every officer and dispatcher would find their Zen while continuing to protect and serve the community. Right?