U.S. police professionals work in an increasingly demanding and complex operational, administrative and legal landscape. Many hazards exist in this environment, and navigating these hazards as a police officer is no longer achievable without significant change. It is time for police leaders to collaborate with community stakeholders and find ways to enhance the wellness of their police officers and communities.

Police work is stressful. Traditional views on police occupational stress have often been viewed in a negative light. Much of this perspective is due, in large part, to the police institution’s reactive approach to stress management—police agencies typically wait until significant, negative effects of stress manifest in individuals, teams, or the whole organization before actions are taken to mitigate and manage. Police officer wellness requires a shift in organizational approach among police leadership and an ensuing cultural evolution toward resilience and holistic wellness. This article will discuss what this shift might look like and how police and community leaders might consider leading forward to build a police organizational and cultural construct that has resilience (prevention) at its core.