Research consistently suggests that law enforcement officers are at a higher risk of experiencing anxiety, acute and posttraumatic stress, and depression than individuals in other professions. In turn, these psychological factors have been found to have serious effects on the mental well-being, physical health, and life span of officers. In recent years, several steps have been taken to “end the silence” surrounding the mental health and wellness of law enforcement officers. In 2015, the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing highlighted officer safety and wellness as one of the six pillars for policing. In its final report, the task force recommended the promotion of officer wellness at all levels of law enforcement. More recently, the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act, passed into U.S. law in 2018, has supported the expansion of wellness services across federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies.

At the organizational level, law enforcement agencies implement a broad continuum of officer mental health and wellness policies and programs. These efforts range from providing officers access to information on mental health resources to the use of annual mental health wellness checks, in-service training, peer support initiatives, and psychological services. While this emphasis on officer wellness across the field of policing is encouraging, it is essential to consider whether these efforts are based upon research and evidence about “what works” in enhancing officer mental health outcomes. Similar to other areas in policing, the design and implementation of policies and programs for officer wellness should be based on evidence.