Fourteen students from law enforcement agencies across Georgia are taking part in a three-day train-the-trainer course hosted by the Hall County Sheriff’s Office this week.
According to a press release from the Sheriff’s Office, the students that complete the course will become Master Resiliency Instructors in the Georgia Resiliency Program and will take mental, physical, social and spiritual health strategies to officers across the state.
The program is being organized by the Georgia Officer Standards and Training Council (P.O.S.T.) and Peace Officers Association of Georgia.
In a prepared statement in the press release, Georgia P.O.S.T. Executive Director Mike Ayers compared the program to regular maintenance on a new vehicle or other equipment.
“We care for and perform preventative maintenance on those items, but do we do the same for our most important asset, our people?” Ayers said.
Ayers and others are now part of bringing this program to Georgia, which is based on a model already implemented in New Jersey.
Hall County Sheriff’s Lt. Greg Cochran recently became a Master Resiliency Instructor and is part of the program in Hall County this week.
“When we improve an officer’s ability to better deal with certain issues, not only does the officer benefit, but so does their family and the community in which they serve,” Cochran said in a prepared statement.
Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch is in support of the program which aims to reduce officer suicide and misconduct and provide life skills to help officers become resilient in every aspect of their lives, according to the release.
“I fully endorse the critical work being started by our partners with the Georgia Resiliency Program and look forward to a cultural shift in our profession where we no longer expect LEOs to merely, ‘tough it out,’ when it comes to the tragedy they see on an almost daily basis,” Couch said in a prepared statement. “I am honored that the Sheriff’s Office is able to host this course, and I’m excited to see this program grow in our state.”
The class runs through Thursday, Jan. 21, and is being held in the Ramsey Conference Center at Lanier Technical College.
