By Bob Katzen
This bill would require all police department and other law enforcement agencies to develop and maintain a program for supporting law enforcement officers who have been involved in a critical incident.
A critical incident is defined as a traumatic event that may cause powerful emotional reactions in people involved or exposed to the event. These events could include a line of duty death of an officer, the suicide of an officer, multiple casualty incidents, an event involving children, an officer involved shooting, as well as any other event that elicits an emotional response.
“This legislation acknowledges the emotional impact that traumatic events have on law enforcement officers and ensures that every officer involved in a critical incident receives the necessary support they need to maintain their mental well-being,” said Rep. Kathy LaNatra (D-Kingston). “Untreated trauma weighs down on officers, and as each officer encounters more and more critical incidents, that trauma builds on the last incident, similar to adding rocks to a backpack and asking the officers to just continue marching despite the extra weight. This bill will ensure that every officer has access to support after an incident, to help them remove the rocks from the backpack before returning to service. This legislation takes a significant step toward prioritizing the well-being of those who dedicate their lives to serving our communities.”