Tri-C’s Upcoming Officer Training Focuses on Wellness

Course helps cadets identify signs of stress, trauma to maintain mental and physical health

This winter, Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C^®) will launch a training course to teach police cadets the warning signs of mental stress, trauma and suicide — and how to ask for help.

Intense stress can lead to a decline in mental and physical health over time. Between 2016 and 2019, suicide was the leading cause of death among police officers.

"It's OK not to be OK. It's not a sign of weakness to have someone help you out," Greg Truhan told WEWS-5 Cleveland. Truhan is an instructor at the College's KeyBank Public Safety Training Center. He has 30-plus years of law enforcement experience.

"We're supposed to be tough, we're supposed to be well-trained, but we're human," he continued. "The stigma is there. It's tough to ask for help. But that's starting to change because of the statistics about officer suicide."

The course will provide officers with the knowledge, skills and abilities to cope and maintain their overall wellness. Multiple resources were reviewed to create "best of the best" content in an easy-to-digest format. Topics include officer stress, trauma and hypervigilance; PTSD; suicide recognition and prevention; and best practices for officer self-care (e.g., mindfulness; diet, exercise and sleep).

The College's current class of 34 cadets will be the first to take the course. It will also be offered to the dozens of police departments with whom Tri-C works to help officers already on the job.

December 21, 2021

By Anthony Moujaes, 216-987-3068 or anthony.moujaes@tri-c.edu